It's Time to Choose Horatio
by Rodea McWin
Summary: There is a new type of serial killer that has landed in Miami and the CSI team is about to have a close encounter after the killer decides to include Horatio and two of his CSI in his game. -Revised 8-27-2010 to fix the grammar and bad spelling-
1. Captive Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: **

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This is my very first fan fiction I have written

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"Well well, if it isn't the infamous Horatio Caine. I've been watching you closely at every crime scene for the past 2 months and I have to say you're good, but I want to see how good you can still be when you're part of the crime".

Horatio looked up from the chair he was tied to and scanned his surroundings for the source of the voice. "I don't know what you want from me but if you don't untie me and let me go I am going to take great pleasure in defending myself, and I can't say that you will be breathing when I'm done".

As Horatio finished his sentence, a covered figure came out of the shadows directly in front of the chair. "Now now Horatio, you don't even know why you're here. You shouldn't jump to conclusions so quickly. No harm will come to you as long as you do what I ask".

Before the mystery man could continue Horatio spoke up, "I am not interested in why you took me, all I know is that when I get my hands on you you'll wish you had never laid eyes on me".

Horatio's captor became agitated at this statement. "You're not playing the game correctly. I thought you would want to know everything about me and why you are here. After all, you've been searching for me for the last 2 months. It's obvious that you don't have a clue as to who I am. I am very disappointed in you".

"Why should I know who you are, I can't even see your face". Horatio kept his eyes on the person before him hoping the conversation would stall him long enough to get his hands loose. "Why don't you take off your mask and untie me, then we can talk about this face to face".

Horatio's captor turned away from him, apparently agitated by the way he turned his body. Horatio wasn't sure where this would get him but he hoped he still had time to escape.

Without turning toward Horatio, the man began talking again, "Your stalling techniques are not going to help you escape if that is what you're hoping to do. Once you realize why you are here you will want to play the game. You see Horatio; you are not the only one that I have tied up in this place. I have asked two people in your life to join us and I don't think you would want to abandon them at this stage of the game. All I want from you is to choose who lives and who dies. I do hope this is enough information for you to figure out who I am and why you are here".

With that being said, the mystery man started walking toward the door, but he wasn't leaving. Instead he stopped and pulled a cord; which opened a curtain directly in front of Horatio. "Here is something we can discuss when I come back". While Horatio was taking in the site before him the mystery man took his leave and closed the door behind him. Horatio was caught off guard when the curtain revealed the rest of the game, but there was one thing he was certain of, he now knew the identity of his abductor. It was the serial killer they had been investigating for the last 2 months. With this knowledge he was certain how this game was going to be played out, and it wasn't good. As Horatio looked at the unconscious bound figures of Eric and Ryan he knew that he needed to get free if he was going to save the lives of his two CSI's. He didn't know when the killer was coming back but he was not going to sit and wait for him to return. He was going to do whatever he could to get the upper hand in this sick game he had become part of.

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	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Chapter 2**

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As Horatio attempted to loosen the ropes that bound his hands, he heard Eric moan from across the room. "Eric, can you hear me, are you all right"? Eric started to move his head as if he had heard Horatio's voice but he didn't lift it up. "Eric, I need you to listen to me, lift your head up so I can see that you're ok". Horatio was disappointed when Eric stopped moving. Horatio tried a few more attempts to get Eric to wake up but there was no more movement coming from him. As he contemplated what to do next he finally realized that he had lost valuable time in his efforts to get untied. He needed to think of a different plan if he was going to get the 3 of them out of here alive. He started to think back to one of the cases they had been working on to see if there was anything he could use against his captor.

**1 month earlier – **

"What have we got here Mr. Wolfe?" Horatio stood at a side angle in front of Ryan holding his sunglasses.

Ryan had been the first CSI to show up at the scene. "Well from what I can tell it looks like our serial killer has struck again. The MO is similar to the other 2 cases in that there are 3 people involved and one of them is asked to choose which of the 2 other people will die".

Horatio had already guessed what Ryan was going to say based on the crime scene. Within the last month they had already investigated 2 other similar cases. But they had not been able to figure out who was responsible yet. As Horatio stood there watching, he saw Eric out of the corner on his eye. He had come from one of the rooms and was headed in their direction.

"What have you found out Eric"? Eric had been the second CSI to arrive at the scene and had been working with officer Timm on establishing the victim's names. "Well there were 3 women involved and they all worked at St. Mary's hospital together. Susan Kluver and Michelle Mason are the ones who survived. The one who didn't was Missy Tyler. Both Susan and Michelle said they were abducted after work about 2 days ago. They don't know anything about their captor except that he was a male about 6 feet tall and had a deep voice. He wore a mask so they didn't see his face. They couldn't tell me much about Missy except that they thought she was on vacation. Alexx is in the other room with the deceased victim trying to determine cause of death; the other 2 are on their way to the hospital for severe dehydration, but otherwise they were not hurt". Eric paused before continuing, "H, this seems like the other 2 cases we have been working on except that the killer didn't kill the 3rd victim in front of the other two. He took her away and tortured her while her friends were in this room. They said they could hear everything".

"Ok Eric, finish processing the scene, we can talk later". Horatio left Eric to his work and went in search of Alex.

Horatio found Alexx as she was examining the victim. "Alexx, have you been able to determine the cause of death yet?"

Alexx stopped what she was doing and looked up "This poor baby girl never had a chance Horatio. She was bound the whole time while he cut her to pieces. I can't really determine what the final cause of death was until I get her back to my lab, but my guess is that she bled out. Why would anyone do this?"

"That is what we need to find out Alexx". With that said Horatio walked out of the room. He knew that his CSI could process the crime scene without him. He wanted to get back to the lab to see what progress Calleigh had made on the 2 previous cases and see how this new information might help lead them to their killer before he struck again.

**Present situation - **

While Horatio was remembering the past investigation he heard Eric moan again, but this time when Horatio looked at his he saw him lift his head and look his way. "Eric, I need you to stay awake. You need to focus on me. Are you hurt?"

Eric kept his gaze on Horatio as he talked, "H, what's going on, where are we?" He tried to move his hands but gave up when he figured out he was tied up, "Why are we tied up"?

Horatio wasn't convinced that Eric was going to stay awake, "Eric, I want you to listen to me and do what I tell you. We have been taken hostage. We need to get free and get out of here before our captor comes back. Can you tell if Mr. Wolfe is ok"?

Eric quickly moved his head to the left. He hadn't noticed Ryan before now and was shocked to see him. "H, what is going on, why are we here?"

"Eric, I need you to focus on Mr. Wolfe right now and tell me if he looks ok". Horatio could not get a clear view of Ryan's face and needed Eric's vantage point to tell him what he wanted.

Eric looked back at Ryan and said "he's breathing, but I can't see much else".

Horatio seemed to accept this information for now and moved on to his next question. "Ok Eric, we need to get out of here, I need you to try and free yourself from your chair".

As Eric was trying to see how loose his ropes were the door to his left opened up "Welcome to the game Eric, I am so glad you finally decided to wake up. If you are testing the ropes on your chair you might as well save your strength, you're going to need it for later".

Eric stopped what he was doing and looked at the masked figure before him "Who are you and what are you doing with us?" Their captor walked over to the still unconscious Ryan sitting next to Eric and looked down at the bound CSI. "I think we had better wait for Mr. Wolfe to wake up before I tell you anything. I really do hate to have to repeat myself".

Before Horatio or Eric could say anything more their captor once again left the room.

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	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: **

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As soon as their captor had left the room Eric turned his attention back to Horatio, "H, what's going on. The last thing I remember was walking out to my car after hanging out with a friend". Eric looked around the room again and it finally dawned on him the layout the 3 of them were in sitting in.

By the look on Eric's face he could tell that Eric finally realized who was holding them captive. "Eric, I think we are part of a very sick game, and the one behind all of this is someone who has been eluding us for the past 2 months. Somehow he has managed to abduct the three of us and has brought us here to play his game. I have not been able to get free and I would assume he has you tied up pretty much the same way". Horatio looked away from Eric for a moment to check on Ryan, but resumed his gaze on Eric, "The only way I can think of getting out of here alive is to stall him and not give him what he wants. Eric, I need you to think about the past cases. Can you think of anything that might help us?"

**Three weeks ago –**

"Hi Eric, I heard we may have finally caught a break in the case". Calleigh was looking hopeful as she asked the question. She was really hoping this new evidence would help them identify the killer.

Eric looked up from his paperwork and smiled, "Hey Calleigh, I ran the DNA trace we found on the chair and it didn't match any of the victims, so there's a good chance it came from our killer. One of the victims remembered the killer banging his hand on the chair hard enough to leave a mark. CODIS came up empty though". He put his pen down and slouched in his chair looking exhausted. They had all been putting in long hours to try and find anything that could be linked back to the killer, but this guy was either too good of just lucky.

One fact they did know was that he was very good at covering up his tracks. They were starting to wonder if this killer had a criminal investigation back ground because he seemed to know exactly what evidence to get rid off before leaving the area. But this was all just circumstantial evidence and it was not enough to go on. They also thought the killer was putting in quality time getting to know the victims before he would abduct them. All of the victims said the killer knew a lot of details about them. Eric had speculated that maybe the victims knew who the killer was somehow, but they hadn't been able to come up with anything. They also couldn't find any links between the victims.

They had all been excited to find some DNA that might belong to the killer, but when CODIS didn't turn up with anything Eric wondered if they were ever going to solve this crime.

Calleigh seemed to sense what Eric was thinking, "did you run the sample in the law enforcement DNA data base? If our theory of the killer having some sort of criminal investigation background was correct he might show up in there".

Eric stood back up and grabbed his paperwork, "I thought of that too, but there was no match found there either. I think we can rule out anyone employed in law enforcement. I am going to go over the other evidence we got from the last crime scene again, there has got to be something we missed. If he whacked his hand on the chair as hard as we were told, he may have left DNA on something else in the room". Eric looked away from Calleigh and started walking toward the door.

Calleigh followed Eric to the door. She knew how he felt. There had been 3 separate cases now and they were no closer to identifying the killer then when they first started. People in the Miami area were starting to get worried about who would be next. They thought the police were not doing enough to find this killer and the news paper articles and new reports didn't help. They made lots of speculations on the cases, but all this did was feed the fear in the people of Miami. The papers had even dubbed the serial killer with the name 'Triangle Killer' since there were always 3 people who were brought together in one room and their bound positions formed a triangle. As both Calleigh and Eric came out the room Calleigh said "I think I'm going to have another look at the victim's backgrounds. There has to be a link somehow". With that being said, Calleigh walked down the hall while Eric went the opposite way.

**Present Situation – **

As Horatio and Eric were discussing one of the past investigations, they were distracted from their conversation by a sound coming in Ryan's direction. Horatio turned his head toward Ryan, "Mr. Wolfe, I need you to wake up and look at me, I need to know you're ok"

Ryan looked up to where he heard Horatio's voice but he looked very dazed and confused. "Where are we H". He turned and then looked over at Eric with an even more confused look on his face. "Eric, what are we doing here and why are we all tied up?" His words were a little slurred; he was not fully awake yet and was therefore unable to fully comprehend what he was looking at.

Horatio was a little concerned for Ryan. He had been unconscious for a longer period of time then Eric had and he was not coming around as quickly as Eric did. It could be that Ryan was the last one to be abducted and therefore it would have been natural for him to wake up last, or it could be that the killer had used a different method to subdue him. Either way he hoped that neither of his CSI had been harmed to badly. "Mr. Wolfe, look at me please and tell me if you're alright".

Ryan looked over at Horatio again and even though he still seemed confused he was able to answer him, "I'm ok H, my head hurts a lot but otherwise I think I am ok". At this point he tested his bound hands and gave up right away as it seemed to make his head hurt more.

Before another word could be uttered the door opened and the Triangle Killer walked in. He went and stood in the middle of the 3 chairs. "Well, I see that Mr. Wolfe has finally decided to join the game. Let the game truly begin then".

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	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: **

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After entering the room and announcing that the game had finally begun, the triangle killer stood there silently looking at the 3 men he had abducted only 2 days earlier. His gaze finally fell on Horatio. He was so excited to have finally gotten him to play the game. He had spent the last 2 months watching the interactions between Horatio and his people at each of the crime scene. He was so fascinated by everything that Horatio said and did that it started to become an obsession. He found himself thinking about Horatio at least once a day and when that was not enough he found himself parked outside the crime lab just to get a glimpse of the man. When this obsession started interfering with his work, he knew it was time to have Horatio join the fun.

It didn't take him long to figure out who would be joining Horatio. He watched how he treated his CSIs and knew that the two he ended up with would create an interesting mix. He had gone over this moment so many times in his head; he could hardly believe it was finally happening for real. He knew Horatio would be a good player. He also wondered if anyone had realized these three men were missing. He figured that Horatio would be the first one missed since he seemed to live at the crime lab. Then he thought Eric would be the next one missed since he was seeing the cute blonde CSI. He wasn't sure how long it would take anyone to realize that Ryan was missing. He had abducted Ryan as he was leaving town for a few days of vacation so no one was expecting him to be around.

**1 ½ days ago – **

Calleigh had been at work for the last 2 hours going over some new information obtained from the latest triangle case. She was getting very annoyed; which was making it hard to concentrate. Eric was supposed to be here helping her but he hadn't shown up for work yet. She didn't know if she was annoyed because he was late or if it was because she was still mad at him. They had been out last night for dinner and ended up having a big argument. He had stormed off and that was the last time she had seen him. She had tried calling him when she got home but there was no answer. She decided it could wait until morning so she didn't try and call him again. It was always better to let him cool off before talking to him anyway.

Eric was occasionally late, but he always called to let someone know. If she found out he was staying away because of last night, she was going to blow a gasket. They needed to keep working on these triangle cases if they were going to finally get this killer off the streets, so there was no time for personal distractions. She was still thinking about him when Frank came into the room.

"Hi Calleigh, have you seen Horatio today? We were supposed to go and interview the last 2 victims again but he never showed up. I tried calling his cell but there was no answer. This is not like him to be late". Frank could not remember the last time Horatio was ever late to an investigation. He lived and breathed everything that went on in this place. It had been especially true in these serial crimes as it put the whole city of Miami on alert.

Calleigh looked at Frank with a funny look on her face, "I haven't seen him and he hasn't called anyone to my knowledge. You know, Eric didn't show up today either and didn't call anyone to let us know he was going to be late". Calleigh had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. This was not like Horatio and Eric to be late.

Frank had a similar look on his face. "You don't suppose Horatio took Eric with him to interview the victims".

"No, I don't think so. They would have told someone if they changed their plans. Besides Eric was supposed to be here helping me and he would have told me if he was not coming in". Or at least she hoped he would have told her. She was still not 100% convinced that Eric's tardiness was not due to their fight last night.

"Is this something we should be worried about?" Frank had the look of someone who already knew the answer to that question. Calleigh picked up her cell phone and dialed Horatio's cell number. When she didn't get anything she tried his house. From the look on her face Frank knew there was no answer.

"There was no answer from either his cell or his home. I've already been trying Eric's cell all morning so I know he's not home or anywhere near his cell". That bad feeling in her stomach was getting worse as she wondered where the men were. "I think we should go to Horatio and Eric's place to make sure everything is ok".

**Present situation – **

Eric was looking at Horatio trying to figure out what he might be thinking. The killer was just standing there doing nothing; you could have cut the tension with a knife it was so thick. Eric still couldn't remember how he got here, but he did remember the last person he saw was Calleigh. It was during dinner and they had one heck of a fight. He had stormed off and went out to his car, but that is all he could remember. He wished it had not ended that way. He wanted to say he was sorry for being such an ass, but now he wasn't sure he would ever get the chance. They had not gotten any closer to solving these crimes so he didn't know if they would find them in time.

Horatio was going to have the play the game and make a choice of who lived and who died. He didn't know who Horatio would pick but he felt guilty when he hoped it wouldn't be him. He had to stop thinking about this. He needed to focus on the current situation if he was going to help Horatio. He was sure that Horatio had a plan but he was not close enough to him to find out. As he was thinking about this, the triangle killer looked over in his direction, it was if the killer knew exactly what he was thinking.

While looking at Eric the killer knew it was time to start the fun. "I think the rules to the game are in order'. He turned to Horatio, "The first rule of the game is that I am in charge. I know what you're thinking Horatio and your plan on getting the upper hand here won't work. I know more about you than you think. I've been studying you so I know what little twists you might throw in. My second rule is that there is to be no talking between the three of you. The game is only between me and Horatio". With that being said he went over to Eric and started to put a gag in his mouth. Eric put up as much of a fight as he could but since he was tied up and was getting tired it was not much of a fight. "There that's better. I didn't want you to spoil the fun Eric". He then turned his attention Ryan. As he was putting the gag in Ryan's mouth he realized that there was not as much of a struggle with Ryan as there had been with Eric. He wondered if he had been a little to ruff with Ryan when he had taken him. Ryan was also not looking to good. But there was something about Ryan that was yet to be revealed. "There, now it is just you and me Horatio".

"Why are you doing this, there is nothing to gain from any of this". Horatio could not stand the fact that he was in this mess and that 2 of his CSI were here, but now that they were also gagged made it even harder to figure a way out of here. He had been hoping to talk to Eric about possible ways to get out. Ryan did not seem to be all there and he wasn't sure he would be able to help. He was also worried about Ryan since he still seemed confused. Once the gag was put into his mouth his head bobbed down toward his chest. He could tell Ryan was still alert, but that was all he could tell. "If you want to kill anyone why not just kill me and let my CSI go. They don't need to be part of this game. You said earlier that you had been watching me since the first crime, so it seems it's me that you want".

"Now now Horatio, aren't' you full of yourself. I can't play this game with just you. I need both Eric and Mr. Wolfe if the game is to be played correctly. Now on to rule 3, there is only one way out of here for you and that is to make a choice. You need to choose which one of these men will die. Once you have made your choice the game is over for you and the one you didn't choose. Both of you will be free to go on living.

"What do you intend to do with the other person". Horatio knew the answer to this but wanted to keep the killer talking. He needed to give his other CSI time to find them before something happened.

"I thought you were smarter than that Horatio, you know full well what will happen to that person. After all, you've spent the last 2 months cleaning up after me". The killer knew that Horatio was just trying to keep the game from progressing. "Now that I have told you the rules it's time to choose Horatio, which one of these men will live and which one will die?"

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	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5:**

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"So Horatio, who are you going to choose?" The triangle killer went over and stood behind Eric. He roughly grabbed Eric's head with both hands and held it still so that Horatio could see his face more clearly. "Will it be Mr. Eric Delko, a CSI who has been with you for more than 7 years? He is the guy that is always by your side watching your back. He is the guy who saved your life on more than one occasion. And if I am not correct, he was your brother in-law for a brief moment when you married Marisol". He could tell that he had struck a chord with Horatio when he mentioned her name. Would this be the reason why he would not choose Eric? The killer than went over to Ryan and took hold of his head that same way he did Eric's. He could tell that Ryan was feeling better since he was putting up a little more resistance. "Or will it be Mr. Ryan Wolfe, a CSI who has been with you for about 3 ½ years? He was the guy that helped you fake your own death but has been in more trouble with the department than any other of your CSI". He held on to Ryan's head a little bit longer while he gazed at Horatio and wondered if Ryan would be the chosen one. It was quite obvious when watching the crime scenes that Horatio favored Eric over Ryan. Hell, he didn't even call Mr. Wolfe by his first name, yet he called everyone else by their first name. He then let go of Ryan's head and walked over to where Horatio was seated.

When his head was finally released, Ryan watched the killer walk towards Horatio. He was wondering why Horatio had not said anything yet. But if he knew him correctly, he was trying to think of a way out of here and was just trying to buy some time by stalling. As he watched the killer he started to think back to the last two days. He remembered being very excited to finally be getting away for a couple of days of rest and relaxation. Work had been so stressful since they were all working longer hours to find out who this triangle killer was. It was ironic that he was now sitting here with the very person he had been hoping to forget about while on vacation. Nothing ever went his way. Ever since he had been kicked off the force and then re-instated nothing seemed to be the same anymore. He was worried that this was where it would all come to an end. He would become someone else's crime scene as they worked hard to figure out who the triangle killer was. They would keep working on the crime trying to solve it and they would eventually forget about Ryan Wolfe and forget about what he did for the department. It probably would not take long since he felt like they never really wanted to know who he was anyway. If Horatio was forced to choose someone he would never pick Eric. But if he were Horatio he wouldn't pick Eric either. No one would miss Ryan if he was gone, but they would never be the same if anything happened to Eric.

As he was thinking he heard the killer say something to Horatio. He had been so busy with his thoughts that he had missed part of their conversation. He was just so tired it was easy for his mind to drift off, but he thought he better pay attention to what was being said as this could be one of his last thoughts before he died. He turned his head toward to the two men and tried to hear what they were saying.

The killer had been talking to Horatio trying to get him to make a decision but realized that he needed to provoke him even further so that he would be forced to play the game. He knew he would try to stall as long as he could but he didn't think he would be so quiet. "You haven't said anything yet, that is so unlike you Horatio. I feel like I am just talking to myself and that hurts my feelings. I know you are just trying to stall in hopes that your CSI will find you and save the day, but I can tell you that it will take quite some time before they find this location". He bent down and put his masked face up close to Horatio's face, "So you might as well forget about anyone coming to save you and just tell me who it's going to be". The killer turned around and pointed first to Eric and then to Ryan. "Which one of your CSI's dies because you have chosen them? Which one of these men will have you to thank for their ultimate demise". He turned back to face Horatio, "One thing I can promise you is that someone in this room will die and it won't be you. No matter what you are hoping will happen it won't change the fact that someone will die. No matter what you say or don't say someone will die. You can't stop something that has already happened. This game will be played through to the end". He knew he was just rambling now, but he was trying to keep this man from getting to him. He was the one who had the upper hand here, not Horatio.

Horatio glared straight into the killer's eyes, "Like I've said before, I won't play your game. If anyone is to die here today it will be you". Horatio had known his silence would be short lived. This whole situation was pissing him off, but there was nothing he could do while he was tied up. He thought if he could just get free he would rip this guy's head off. This whole thing was getting more and more difficult. He wasn't sure what time it was or even what day it was, but he did know he was feeling very weak. It was probably due to lack of food and water. This made it so hard for him to keep this up. But he had to or his men would die. He had to stall for as much time in order to allow his other CSI time to find him. He wondered where Calleigh and his other CSI were and he wondered how close they were to finding them. He just hoped they were aware the 3 of them were missing.

**1 day ago – **

After Calleigh and Frank went to Horatio and Eric's place they knew there was something wrong. Neither of them had been home since the day before, or at least that was how it appeared. Horatio's neighbor had confirmed he had not come home, but there was no one at Eric's place that could say for sure that he hadn't been home. All they had to go on with Eric was that his mail was still in his box from the day before. They had also had no luck with Horatio and Eric's cell phones. It had been Calleigh's idea to check the GPS on each of their cell phones but when they didn't get anything it had been concluded that the phones had been turned off.

"I wished that Ryan was here to help us. It's just like him to not be around when we could use all the help we could get". Calleigh was not sure why she had said that out load. She wasn't really mad at Ryan; he deserved a couple of days off. He had just been getting off a tough case that lasted to long when this new series of crimes started happening. He had not had a day off since the first triangle murder was investigated, and that is not even including the fact that he had not taken any days off while he had been working on his previous case. Horatio had said he had worked something like 2 ½ months straight. That was hard to believe but when it came to Ryan anything was possible. He had been trying to do everything he could to win back everyone's trust and friendship after he had been re-instated. "Frank did you happen to try Ryan again, I know that he is suppose to come back in a couple of days, but we could really use him right now".

"I tried again when we left Horatio's place but I still just got his voice mail". I'm sure he'll call us back once he gets the message, his cell is probably just out of range".

"Have you tried calling his hotel to see if he was there?" Calleigh wasn't exactly sure where he was going, but she had suspected it was not far. He wouldn't have gone far from the case knowing that it was still unsolved. One thing could be said for Ryan, he was committed to his work.

"Do you know where he went, I asked a few other people and they said they didn't have a clue". Frank assumed that Ryan must have confided in Calleigh.

"No, I don't. He didn't tell me anything about his trip, but then again I never asked". She didn't know why she never asked, but she suspected it had something to do with the way Eric had reacted when he had found out that Horatio had given Ryan a few days off. Eric didn't think that Ryan should have been allowed to take time off until the case was solved. They were all working extra hours to solve this crime so why did Ryan get to have any time off. Calleigh had sympathized with Ryan and it has caused a big fight over dinner the other night. She had to stop thinking about where Ryan was and concentrate on finding Horatio and Eric. She would do it with or without the assistance of Ryan. "You know it doesn't' really matter that Ryan is not here. We have plenty of people to help find Eric and Horatio. I'm sure that once Ryan gets his voice mail he will call and we can ask him to come back then". She was picturing him sitting somewhere by a pool just soaking up the sun and she hoped he was having a good time, because it certainly wouldn't be that way when he came back to work.

**Present situation – **

Ryan couldn't have felt more miserable than he did right now. He should have been sitting by a pool, relaxing in the sun and catching up with a book he had started 4 months ago. Instead he was in this dark room tied to a chair and gagged knowing that this might be the last day of his life. He was hoping others were looking for them, but he didn't think Horatio could stall the choice any longer. Their captor was getting very tired of Horatio and his refusal to choose who would die. But in all honesty he didn't really care if he died that day. His life was not going the way he had hoped it would and lately he didn't think anyone wanted him working at the crime lab. He didn't think he would be able to take much more of this. Ever since he woke up in this place he felt lousy, he had a killer headache which was now a border line migraine. He also had not eaten anything since he was taken. The killer had taken him first and the few times that he did wake up he was given, or rather forced to drink some water. He suspected something was in that water because every time he drank it he felt even worse and would eventually fall back to sleep. He looked over at Horatio again and thought to himself "_go ahead and name me Horatio, it would at least end my suffering_".

Horatio had been watching Eric and Ryan while trying to dealing with the killer. He noticed that while Eric was very alert and listening to the whole scene being played between him and the killer, Ryan looked like he was daydreaming half the time. He wondered what he was thinking about. He hoped he didn't think he would be chosen here. He knew that some people would think Ryan was more expendable than Eric, but he knew that wasn't true. He had no intention of losing any of his CSI, especially not this way. As he was thinking he felt something hit his head. The killer had used a wound up rope to get his attention and that pissed him off again. "I will never play your game". The tone of his voice rose in hopes to make his point, "there is nothing you can do to make me play your game". He knew he probably shouldn't have said that last part, but after being here for a couple of days and not feeling his best he stopped thinking about what he was saying.

The triangle killer had just heard Horatio proclaim his refusal to choose for the last time. It was time to take this game to the next level. Everything was going as planned. "Well Horatio, if you will not give me a verbal answer then I may need to help you decide. I have something with me that will help you make the decision without actually saying it". He walked over to the table that stood between Eric and Ryan and took off a few wires that were hooked to what looked like a battery. He placed one set of the wires on Eric and the other set of wires on Ryan. He then went back to the table and removed 2 items. They looked like some kind of trigger device. He walked over to Horatio. "I guess that you will need to be holding these to make then work, but in order for you to hold them I will need to change your position in the chair. I think it is time to say nighty night for a little while. And when you wake up you will have reached level 2 of the game". He injected something into Horatio's neck. Horatio did not make this very easy but the killer was glad that his victim was tied up.

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	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: **

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Horatio was starting to wake up. He didn't even remember falling asleep, but when he opened his eye's he found he was in the same place. He had been hoping this was all a dream, but as reality sunk in he knew it wasn't. He looked around the room and saw Eric and Ryan; there was no sign of their captor. It looked as if both his CSI had taken advantage of this time to catch up on some much needed sleep; at least he was hoping the sleep had been their own choice. He didn't know what had gone on while he was unconscious so he didn't know if the killer had chosen to drug them to sleep as well. He didn't know where their captor was but he was glad for the break. He needed this time to check on Eric and Ryan. "Eric, can you hear me?"

Eric had not really been sleeping so he was able to open up his eyes right away and look at Horatio. Since the gag was in his mouth all he could do was move his head up and down to show Horatio he was alright.

Once Horatio was satisfied that Eric was alright he looked over at Ryan. He was a little worried about him. The whole time they had been here he seemed to be in worse shape than Eric. He didn't know if the killer had used excessive force on Ryan when he was abducted, but he was hoping Ryan's deterioration was just due to the fact that the boy had already been totally exhausted before any of this had happened.

It was because of Ryan's state that he had insisted the young man take a small break from their current investigation. He had at first refused the break saying it was not fair to the others, but soon came to realize that Horatio was right and that he had needed a break. "Ryan, can you raise your head and open your eyes to look at me?" When there was no response he tried again even louder, "Ryan, I need you to wake up, I know that you probably don't feel good and just want to sleep, but if we are to get out of here alive I need you to wake up".

Ryan had thought he heard Horatio's voice, but judging by the way he felt he thought he was already dead. He heard it again, but this time it was more persistent. He opened his eye's only to shut them again. The light in the room was too bright and it brought instant pain to his eyes. It also didn't make his ever growing headache feel any better. As he sat there he thought he heard Horatio's voice for a third time and decided to try and open his eyes again. Once he did he saw a very concerned look on his boss's face. Was he looking at him that way because he knew he was already dying? This caused him to look down at himself to see if there was a fatal wound he had missed feeling while he was asleep, but there was nothing there. Everything looked that same way as it did before. He was still tied to this chair and the wire the killer had attached to him before falling asleep was still there.

"Mr. Wolfe, please pay attention to what I am saying, I need you to look at me and move your head to let me know you are all right". Horatio didn't want to use harsh tone when calling out to Ryan, but he needed to get his attention. He didn't understand why he was just looking down at his body and not doing as he was told. He needed him to snap out of his confusion and listen.

As Ryan heard his name again, he looked up to see Horatio staring back at him. While he moved his head up and down to show Horatio he was ok, the realization of everything that had occurred started to come back. He also realized that while Horatio was trying to get his attention, he had used his first name a couple of times, but it took Horatio calling him 'Mr. Wolfe' that made him finally look up and focus on him. He never used his first name so why was he using it now. Was Horatio feeling guilty because he had made his decision and chose him to die? He was letting this whole situation get to him and thought that he may be reading too much into Horatio's response. But he still had to wonder why he chose now of all times to call him by his first name. His boss using his first name was something he was not use to.

Horatio was glad that both his CSI were still with him. He would need both men's help if they were to get out of here alive. "Ok, I need both of you to listen to me very carefully". Before he could finish the sentence the door opened up. Horatio realized that any chance of escape was one again put on hold.

As the killer came into the room he walked over to stand beside Horatio. "I am so touched by how much you still care about getting your men out of here, but the time has come for you to choose and this time I will have your answer". The killer bent down and put something in Horatio's right hand. "Since you are incapable of telling me who you have chosen, I thought we could use something that could help you. If you won't tell me who you choose, I want you to show me".

Horatio looked down at his hands tied to the chair and for the first time since waking up he realized that his arms were no longer tied behind his back, instead they were now tied down to each of the arms on the chair. He wondered why he had not noticed this before, but he was so tired and he had lost all feeling in both arms a long time ago. As he eyed the devise in his right hand he now understood why the killer had knocked him out. He needed time to untie his hands and re-tie them in this new position. He wondered how this devise was going to help him make his choice but he was sure he didn't want to find out. As he was wondering this, the killer moved to his left side and inserted a duplicate devise into his left hand. He tried to let go of the items but they would not fall away from his hands. It was as if the killer had used glue to keep them there.

"Well Horatio, as I am sure you have already found out, the two devises that I have placed in your hands are there to stay. Those 2 devises are wired to that machine over there". He pointed to the piece of equipment that was between Eric and Ryan. He noticed wires were coming out of the machine and that these were the same wires now connected to Eric and Ryan. The killer continued, "The machine is operated by those two devices in your hands. There is also a trigger on each of the devices that when pressed will tell me who you have chosen".

"How are these triggers supposed to help me choose?" Horatio thought he knew what the answer was going to be, but he still had to stall for time.

The killer went over to the machine and said "I think a demonstration is in order". The killer pushed a button on the machine and Eric's body all of a sudden went very rigid followed by severe shaking. Eric was also making some kind of noise but with his mouth gagged it was hard to understand.

It took only a few seconds before Horatio realized that Eric was being electrocuted to death. He was so tired, but he managed to push the panic welling up inside his head long enough to think. He realized that the triggers in his hands would stop the machine, so he pushed the one in his left hand since Eric was to his left. As he pushed the trigger, the machine stopped and Eric slumped forward and fell silent. "I thought you said the choice was up to me, why did you turn the machine on Eric?" Horatio didn't want the machine turned on either men, but he needed to keep the conversation going longer, so as to avoid any further suffering for his CSI.

"Oh Horatio, you certainly aim to please. I didn't know how long it would take you to figure out what the triggers were for, but you certainly haven't disappointed me". The killer walked over to Eric and said "your CSI is still ok; it was a small jolt of electricity this time. As you have already figured out, the triggers in your hands operate this machine. There is one trigger for each person. Once I turn the machine on all I ask of you is to press the button. This machine is very sensitive and will tell me which button you pressed first. I am only telling you this since I am sure you will press both buttons to save your men. All I need you to do is press the button to stop the suffering of your men. Once you do this the machine will tell me which one was pressed first and I will finally know which of your CSI you value the most. The one whose button doesn't register on the machine will be the one you have chosen to die".

For once, Horatio didn't know what to do. How was he going to get out of this? Unless his stalling techniques worked he didn't see any way out of this. "You can't do this. I will tell you who I have chosen after you give me a little more time to think about it".

The killer was listening to everything Horatio had to say, but it was little late for negotiations. He wanted to get this game moving along. He walked over to the machine and looked back at Horatio, "You had your chance Horatio, now you must choose". He turned back to the machine and pressed something. As soon as he did both the CSI were being electrocuted, there body's shaking in convulsions. He wondered how long it would take Horatio to stop their suffering.

Horatio could not believe what was happening. He hadn't expected the killer to use some form of torture to force him to choose. He didn't have any time to process this new twist and had to act fast. Both men could not last much longer. They were already weak from being here in captivity for a few days. He needed to press the triggers in both his hands to stop the suffering but he remembered what he was told. He had to try and press both of them at the exact same time in order to fool the machine. He decided now was as good a time to try as ever. As soon as he had pressed the button he was glad to see that the electrocution had stopped. Both his men were no longer suffering. But when he looked at them he could not tell if they were still alive. He just hoped he had not been too late with his action. He then looked at their captor and wondered what he was going to do next.

The killer had watched the whole thing while standing next to the machine. He had wondered how long it would take Horatio to make a decision. And what he had chosen to do is exactly what the killer was hoping would happen. He was glad that Horatio didn't disappointed him. He knew the next level of his game had just begun; only Horatio didn't know this, but he would soon find out.

As Horatio watched the killer for any clues as to what was coming next, he was surprised to see him remove the wires from Eric and Ryan. He continued to just stare at the man while he came and took the trigger devices out in his hands. He was further surprised when the killer placed these items back with the machine and then proceeded to walk toward the door, but stopping before he opened it.

"Horatio, you have played the game very well up to this point and that has made me very happy, but now I must leave you to prepare for the next level of the game. I hope you have enjoyed your time with me. I know I have. Expect to hear from me real soon Horatio". He opened the door, turned off the lights and then exited the room.

Horatio couldn't believe what was happening. He had not expected this to happen and now he was sitting here in the dark tied to a chair wondering if Eric and Ryan were still alive. The last look at both men before the lights went out was brief but he had not seen any signs of life in either of them. As he sat there trying to hear any sounds of life coming from either man, he heard the door start to open. He didn't know how long the killer had been gone but he thought he was coming back to do something else, or maybe he was going to come and get one of his men and take them away. As he looked through the now open door, he was surprised to find a beam of light shining in his eyes. He had to turn his head away from the light for a moment since it hurt his eyes. When he looked again he was even more surprised to see that it was Calleigh who was on the other end of the light.

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	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: **

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"Frank, I found Horatio". Calleigh was so happy to have found him alive. She didn't know if he was alright but at least he was alive. "Can someone try and find a way to turn the lights on in this room". She moved her way over to Horatio's side and saw that he looked horrible. He looked like he was ready to pass out at any moment.

"Calleigh is that really you, how did you find us?" He was so surprised to see her that he momentarily forgot he was not the only one here. As he remembered who else was with him he said "Calleigh, don't worry about me, please go and check them to make sure they are still alive".

Calleigh was not sure if Horatio was ok since he was not making any sense. She was about to ask him why he said 'they' when the lights suddenly came on. She saw Horatio's face more clearly now and she saw that he was looking behind her. She turned around and saw Eric tied to the chair with his head down. She felt her heart skip a beat as she saw him sitting there not moving and she feared the worse, that he was dead. She ran over to him and raised his face to hers. "Eric, can you hear me, please be all right". She felt like she was losing it. They had been told where they could find Horatio, but the caller didn't mention anything about Eric. "Eric please open your eyes", When she didn't get a response she felt for his pulse and found it to be beating, although it was not a strong beat. As she was visually checking Eric out for any other signs of trauma she heard Horatio speaking to her.

"Calleigh, is he alive? I need to know if he is alive". Horatio didn't like the way his men looked but now that help had arrived he was hoping against all hope that they had made it out of this alive.

Calleigh looked over to Horatio, "I have a slow but steady pulse, he is alive but we need to get the both of you out of here and to a hospital".

Horatio turned his attention from Calleigh to that of Frank, "Frank, tell me about Mr. Wolfe?" He had seen Frank go over and check on the unconscious form of Ryan.

"He's breathing Horatio, but I don't like the looks of him. Calleigh is right; we need to get the 3 of you out of here and to the hospital".

As Calleigh registered what Frank was saying she finally saw Ryan for the first time? He was tied up and unconscious just like Eric. She had thought he was on vacation and was refusing to answer his voice mail. She had been so mad at him for not calling and coming back to help in the search for Horatio and Eric that she had sworn never to talk to him. Any anger she had been feeling toward him had melted away in the few seconds after she saw him. But now was not the time to worry about this. She needed to focus on Eric. Ryan was being helped so she thought it was ok to stay with Eric. She was shaking as she tried to loosen the ropes around Eric's hand.

Natalia saw that Calleigh was shaking and went over to her. "Why don't you go over and help Horatio. I will stay with Eric until the EMT's get here". She knew they had to be careful with Eric and Ryan since they didn't know the extent of their injuries. She thought Calleigh would be better off helping Horatio. That way she could talk to Horatio and find out what had occurred here. She had a feeling she knew the answer. As soon as the lights had come on and she saw the familiar triangle pattern of the chairs, she knew this was not good.

Calleigh didn't want to leave Eric's side, but knew Natalia was right; she should go over and help Horatio. As least he was awake and could help them answer some questions.

As Horatio was being helped from the chair he saw Calleigh walking toward him. "Calleigh how is Eric?"

Calleigh knew he would be more concerned for the well being of his men then for himself, but she knew he must be feeling like crap after being here for 2 days. She didn't know if Horatio was harmed but she would find out. "Eric's going to be alright, but I am more worried about you right now. Can you tell me what happened? Are you hurt?"

Horatio did indeed feel horrible. He didn't really know how long he had been sitting in that chair, but when he tried to stand up he found himself falling back into the chair. He had been sitting there so long that he had lost partial feeling in his legs. He was also feeling very dizzy and light headed. He attributed this to the fact that they had nothing to eat while they were here and only a little water to drink. If it had been up to him he would not have drank anything, but their captor forced it down his throat saying he needed him to keep his strength up. "Calleigh, I'm fine, I just need to go to the hospital to make sure Eric and Mr. Wolfe are going to be ok". He tried to stand up again, but this time he took the offered hand of the EMT who had been helping get him ready for the trip to the hospital.

Calleigh was expecting Horatio to say something like this. "The only reason you are going to the hospital is to get checked over. You're probably dehydrated and need some fluids. They also need to make sure there is nothing else wrong with you". He looked like he wanted to walk out of the building, but as she was about to protest she saw Horatio give into the idea of riding out on a stretcher. As she looked over to Eric, she saw that he was being wheeled away. She could not tell if he was awake or not since she only saw the end of the stretcher go out of the door. Once she knew that Eric was being taken care of, she looked over in Ryan's direction and saw that he was still here and lying on the stretcher. He had more people surrounding him that Eric had. She didn't know if that was a bad sign or not. She hoped he was alright. She was feeling guilty for ever being angry at him. But how was she supposed to have known he was here. For all she knew he was on vacation and just not answering his phone.

She decided to go and see how Ryan was doing. "Horatio, I will meet up with you at the hospital, but first I need to go and check on Ryan". She walked over to where Ryan was and found Natalia there.

"Hey Calleigh, Eric hasn't woken up yet, but they took him out on a stretcher and were going to be giving him some fluids on the way to the hospital. I'm sure he'll be ok". She knew that Calleigh was worried sick about Eric's condition but she was glad when she had gotten her to go and see how Horatio was. She needed Calleigh focused, they still needed to find out what had happened here and they had to get people in here to process it. She had called in the second shift from the crime lab and they were on their way here. She looked at Calleigh, "How was Horatio?"

While listening to Natalia she was staring at Ryan's unconscious figure lying on the stretcher "He's a little dehydrated but I think he is going to be ok. It was hard to convince him to go to the hospital to get checked out, but in the end he gave in. He must be feeling worse that he was letting on".

Natalia expected as much from Horatio, he was probably more concerned about his men then he was for himself. "Well I'm glad to hear that".

"How is Ryan doing"? She didn't like the way he looked laying there. They had decided to get an IV going on him right away instead of waiting for the ambulance.

"Not so good, I guess his pulse was very shallow and slow and he was extremely dehydrated. They also said there were signs of some type of electrocution on his arms. I don't know what happened here but whatever it was it wasn't good".

"Well there is nothing we can do for him right now, I am sure he will be ok". She looked around the room and then back to Natalia. "Have you noticed the way this room is set up", she saw Natalia nod her head in agreement, "This looks like the work of the 'Triangle' killer, but there is something odd about the whole thing, there is no one dead. I don't even want to think about what would have happened if we had not gotten that anonymous phone call alerting us to where Horatio was. But I wonder who placed the call?"

She knew that she needed to get the hospital to check on her friends and talk to Horatio. She knew from the layout of the room who they were dealing with, but the part about them getting a call before someone had died did not fit into the serial killer's MO. Yes they did receive a phone call telling them where they could find the victims, but by the time they reach the place, one of the people had already been dead. This was not the case here and it made her wonder why. She knew that the killer changed certain details of how and when the chosen person would die, but in the end they were dead before anyone got the call. Two things crept to mind, either the killer got scared before he killed anyone since he was dealing with cops or maybe they had a copy cat killer on their hands. She really needed to talk to Horatio if they were going to figure out any of this. Even though she could tell a horrible thing had occurred to her friends, she knew that this might be the evidence they've been waiting for, evidence that will lead them to the identity of the killer.

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	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8:**

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Natalia has offered to stay behind and assist the other CSI shift who was processing the crime scene. It was going to be hard on everyone since the scene involved people very close to them. Natalia had insisted on Calleigh going to the hospital and checking on their friends. She told Calleigh to not worry about any of the evidence and that she would see to it personally.

Calleigh had given in to Natalia offer since she didn't really think she would be much help here. Besides being extremely happy that they had found their missing friend, she was also trying to wrap her mind around the whole thing. Never in a million years would she have guessed that Horatio, Eric and Ryan had been taken by the 'Triangle Killer'. This was just too much for her to process at the moment. But a small part of her still couldn't stop thinking about the fact that this might be the break the case they had been looking for. She needed to talk to Horatio if she was going to make any sense of this.

Calleigh entered the emergency room entrance and eventually found Horatio in one of the side rooms. He was lying down on a bed hooked up to a bag of saline. He still looked awful, but at least he was getting what he needed. "Hi Horatio, how are you feeling?"

Horatio had been laying there thinking about the events of the last 2 days when he heard Calleigh asking him how he was. He slowly lifted himself up on one arm and looked at Calleigh. She had such a worried look on her face. "Calleigh, I'll be ok. Have you seen Eric and Ryan yet?" He had not seen either of them since they put him in this room but they kept reassuring him that they were being well taken care of and as soon as they were up to visitors he could go see them. But he needed to hear how they were from someone he trusted.

"No I haven't seen them yet, I wanted to come and see how you were doing first and maybe see if you were up to talking about what happened". She knew he would want to take the lead on this case as soon as he was released, but she was hoping he would settle for her assistance until he had been able to rest for awhile.

"I'll do more than tell you Calleigh, I intend to help you review every piece of evidence in order to find this killer. We need to make sure he doesn't do this to anyone else ever again". Horatio knew it would take a while to get everything processed, but he wanted it understood that he was going to take a personal role in reviewing everything. Before they had been found, he had silently promised Eric and Ryan that he would not rest until this killer was caught. He just hoped he would get the chance to fulfill his promise. He needed to be strong for both of them and stop thinking about how close he came to losing one of them. He still couldn't' believe their luck. To be found before anyone was killed was something he had been hoping for.

"Horatio, I think you need to rest before you jump back into work". Calleigh hoped the doctor would agree and not release Horatio right away.

"No, I think the best thing for me is to get started right away, while it's still fresh in my mind". He had a lot of time to think about this before Calleigh got to the hospital and he was not about to let her talk him out of it. If he couldn't start right away he was going to go nuts. Now that he knew his men were safe he needed to get started on this case. It was all he could think about. The events of the last 2 days kept running through his mind like a broken record and the only way to stop it was to solve it. As he was thinking about this he kept coming to one part that was bothering him. How was it that Calleigh had found them before the killer finished one of them off? All the other cases lead to one person dying before they were found. He wanted to believe this was a coincident but he couldn't convince himself of this.

"Calleigh, there is one thing about this case that has nagging me since we were found. Exactly how were you able to find us when you did? Did you finally find something in the other cases that helped you find us?"

Calleigh had been wondering when he would ask about this. "I received an anonymous phone call. The person who called me didn't identify himself, but he told me I could find you in the building off of pier 12. We'd been looking for both you and Eric, but the caller only said that I could find you there, there was no mention of Eric being there and we didn't know Ryan was missing so we hadn't even been looking for him".

He gazed as Calleigh, "Do you have any clues to the caller's identity?"

"Ever since we realized who had taken you I started to try and make sense of this. One thing we know from the past cases is that the killer would call someone to let them know he had killed someone and where we could find the two surviving victims. When I received the call I didn't know any of this so you could imagine my surprise when we found you. If it was the killer who had called me, why did he allow us to find all of you alive? This part is not adding up when compared to the other cases".

As Horatio processed this new information he started remembering the events of the past 2 day's again, but every time he did the images of the unconscious lifeless bodies of Eric and Ryan always found their way in. This new information started giving him an odd feeling in the pit of his stomach. Maybe the killer wasn't' done and he was coming back to finish his men off. "Calleigh, I need to see Eric and Mr. Wolfe right now."

Calleigh could hear the worried tone in Horatio's voice. She knew that until Horatio saw that Eric and Ryan were ok with his own eye's he wouldn't sit still. She also knew that once he was satisfied with Eric and Ryan's well being, he would want to get back to work and start reviewing the evidence from this case. "Horatio, I think you need to rest right now, but if you insist on seeing them, how about I go and check on them myself".

"No good enough Calleigh". He knew he could trust Calleigh, but he had to see them for himself. He needed to see for himself that they were both ok. "But first I need to get rid of this". He pulled the IV out of his arm and stood up from the bed.

When Calleigh saw Horatio pull out the IV, she rushed over to his side. "Horatio, I know that you need to see Eric and Ryan, but you still need to take care of yourself. At least let me help you". She grabbed the hospital robe and put it around Horatio as he started walking out the door. She knew that he wanted to get back to work and wouldn't rest until this case was closed, but she hadn't expected to him to pull a stunt like this. She wanted to go and see Eric and Ryan just as badly as Horatio, but that was not the only reason for going with him, she had to keep an eye on him.

When they reached Eric's room Calleigh insisted on going into the room first to make sure he was able to have visitors. She made Horatio sit down on one of the chairs outside the room so he could rest. The walk seemed to wear him out quicker than she had expected and when he didn't argue about it she knew he must be feeling worse that he was letting on.

While Horatio waited outside the room, Calleigh went in. She saw Eric awake and sitting up in bed. She was so happy to see him looking better than he had when they first found him. He still looked exhausted but the IV of saline attached to his arm was helping. "Hey you're awake, how are you feeling".

"Calleigh, I am so glad to see you". A look of relief and happiness washed over his face. "I thought it might be another nurse trying to stick something else in me".

That sounded like the same old Eric she had so recently fell in love with. If he was already starting to complain, it must mean he was feeling better. But she wanted to make sure that he got the rest he needed before resuming work. She could do nothing to convince Horatio, but at least she had the upper hand with Eric. "Well, I can see you're feeling better, but if you don't follow the doctor's rules I will gladly go and get a nurse for you". The little banter between them made Calleigh feel better. It made her feel like they were going to get through this and that everything would go back to the way it was.

Eric gave her one of his famous grins. "No, I don't want any more nurses coming to visit me; you're all that I need. He reached his hand out to Calleigh who took hold of it. "Have you seen Horatio or Ryan yet?" He had been thinking about them ever since he woke up. He was so confused when he woke up on the ride over to the hospital. He thought that he was dreaming, but as soon as he looked over at the EMT's he realized that this was real and that he had gotten out of the hell he was previously in. When he asked the EMT about Horatio and Ryan he was just told that they were also on their way to the hospital, but in a separate ambulance. This information didn't sit well with him, but he was so tired he knew he could wait a little bit longer.

"I haven't seen Ryan yet, but Horatio is just outside of the room waiting to see you. I told him I wanted to come in first to make sure you were ok before he came in". She went over to the door and opened it, "Horatio, you can come in now".

Horatio slowly walked into the room and was relieved to see that Eric was alive and looking better than when he last saw him. "Eric, how are you felling?"

"I'm feeling a lot better H. I just need to get out of here and start working on the case, but they said that I need to stay for observation". He had argued with the doctor over this, since all he could think about was the case and sitting here in this hospital bed was not going to help anyone find the killer. In the end he eventually succumbed to the doctor's decision when he realized how tired he really was. A good night's rest would be the best thing, but after that he wanted to get back to work. He knew there would be a whole new mess of evidence to go over.

"Yes Eric, a good night's rest is the best thing for you and everyone else involved". Horatio knew that he should also follow his own advice, but this case was personal now and he would not rest until the killer was caught. "I need you to get a good night's rest and we can talk in the morning. I need to go and see how Mr. Wolfe is doing now". He took one more look at Eric before leaving the room.

When Calleigh and Horatio got to Ryan's room, they saw the doctor who was treating both Eric and Ryan. Horatio didn't wait for Calleigh to go into the room and make sure it was ok this time. He went straight in and saw Ryan lying on the bed with his eyes closed. Fear ran through his mind for a second as he wondered why Ryan was not awake. He was expecting to see Ryan sitting up and talking just like Eric had been doing but that was not the case. The only thing that was similar was that he had an IV of saline attached to his arm. "Doctor, how is he doing?"

"Lieutenant Caine, I had heard you refused further treatment and left your room, but you really need to rest before going back to work". The doctor was well acquainted with Horatio Caine; therefore he was not surprised when he heard that he had pulled out his IV and said he was leaving.

"There will be plenty of time to rest after this killer is caught, but in the mean time I need to know Mr. Wolfe's condition". Horatio's gaze never left Ryan's face.

"We're not sure why he had not responded to treatment like you and Mr. Delko have. He's been in and out of consciousness since arriving at the hospital. After our examination we couldn't find anything that would explain this, except for the fact that he was exhausted and the electric shock was too much for him to handle. We'll keep you posted when his condition changes". The doctor didn't know if Horatio was going to except this answer, but he didn't have anything else to offer.

As Horatio listened to the doctor he took the seat nearest to Ryan's bed. He didn't want to admit it to anyone, but he was tired. He knew he should rest and take it easy before jumping into the case, but he needed to get this killer off the street once and for all. He would also have liked to just sit here with Ryan and wait for him to wake up. "I want to know the minute he wakes up". He kept staring at Ryan as he thought about the past few days. He knew that Ryan had already been exhausted before this happened, so it didn't surprise him that Ryan was not reacting to his treatment quite the way Eric did. He needed to rest, and rest he was going to get. He stood up and faced the doctor, "Can you tell me about Eric and when he will be released?"

The doctor had momentarily forgotten about the other CSI under his care, "I would like to keep him for observation over night, but I don't see why he couldn't be released in the morning. As for you, if you won't stay here tonight I want you to go home and get a good night's sleep before going back to work tomorrow. If you have any trouble I want to know about it right away".

"Thank you doctor, I'll take that into consideration". Horatio took one more glance at Ryan and then walked back out the door with Calleigh in tow. "Calleigh, before you take me home I want to make sure that there is someone from the department here watching over Eric and Mr. Wolfe. As long as the killer is out there I don't want either of them left alone". Even though they were safe, he wasn't going to take any chances. He didn't know what the killer was going to do next, but he remembered that the killer said he would keep in touch. He didn't know what this meant so he wanted his men protected in case the killer decided to come back and finish the game.

Calleigh was already on top of this and had asked Frank to have some men stationed nearby. "I have already taken care of this Horatio. Frank is having two men from his department sitting outside their rooms".

"Thank you Calleigh, I guess you can take me home then". He hadn't wanted to admit defeat, but he knew he needed to go home and sleep.

Calleigh was glad that Horatio didn't insist on going straight to the lab. There was really nothing he could do with the case tonight. She was glad he wanted to go home and rest. "I also arranged to have someone watch over your place tonight as well. I didn't want to take any chances with you either".

Horatio was too tired to complain with Calleigh about this. He knew it was for the best. But first thing in the morning he was going straight to the lab to work on this case.

* * *

xxxxx


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: **

* * *

Horatio was surprised that he had managed to fall asleep last night, but the sun streaming through his window was proof that he had. He looked over at the clock and saw that it was 9 in the morning. This was later than normal for him to be getting up, but with everything that had happened in the last couple of day he figured he deserved to sleep in. He wanted to get to the lab and start reviewing the evidence that had been collected from his crime scene, but he knew it could wait. He needed to call the hospital to see how Eric and Ryan were. The doctor said that Eric would most likely be released today, but when he had left Ryan's room the young man was still sleeping and it worried him slightly. He was further worried because no one had called him yet. They had assured him they would call him if his condition changed.

Horatio reached for his cell phone and was about to call the hospital when the door bell rang. He knew that there had been a plain clothed police officer watching the house last night so he figured it was just him, but he didn't take any chances and grabbed his gun before answering the door. "Officer Melvin, what can I do for you"? He saw the officer standing there looking apprehensive and holding flowers in one hand.

"Lieutenant Caine, some florist shop was just here and dropped off these flowers. I told him I would make sure you got them. I checked them over and didn't see anything wrong with them". The officer handed the flowers to Horatio. "Sorry about the messy arrangement, I tried to put them back into the classic triangle pattern it came in, but it's been awhile since I helped my mother in her florist shop.

Horatio winced at the mention of the word triangle as he took the flowers from the officer. "Thank you, Officer Melvin. I think you can probably head home or back to the station since I'll be leaving for the lab soon".

"I can't do that Lieutenant Caine. I was told to stay with you until you went to work this morning". The officer knew that Horatio would complain about this so he turned around and walked back to his car as soon as he said that last part. He didn't want to have any arguments with the lieutenant.

Horatio took the flowers into his house and set them down on his kitchen table. As he read the attached card his face turned a pale shade of white. The note read: _Welcome back, I hope you and the boys are feeling better. Be talking to ya real soon_. Below the sentence was a drawing of a broken triangle. He dropped the note and immediately called the hospital. He was told that they were both ok, but it didn't matter. He needed to see them with his own eyes.

While Horatio threw on some clothes he had been on the phone with Calleigh. He had given her the details of what happened and asked her to have someone come over here to pick up the flowers for processing and talk to Officer Melvin. He needed to get to the hospital so he had no time to spare. He told the Officer he didn't have time to argue about the situation and that he needed him to stay and wait for one of the CSI to process the scene while he went to the hospital. The officer had reluctantly agreed once Horatio had assured him he would not get in trouble.

As Horatio pulled up to the entrance of the hospital he saw Calleigh standing there. He had told her she didn't need to go to the hospital for him, but he was secretly grateful she had gone against his wishes.

"Horatio, what's going on? I called the hospital on the way over here and they said both Eric and Ryan were fine". Calleigh could tell that he didn't want to stand there discussing the issue so she allowed him to silently lead her inside and up to Eric's room.

"H, what's happened? I talked to Calleigh on the phone before you got here and she said you were on your way over". He could see that Horatio looked relieved to see him, but he could also tell something was troubling him.

"Eric, I needed to make sure everyone was ok. I received flowers from the killer and I thought that maybe he had gotten to one of you". He was glad to see Eric up and about. It also looked like he was getting ready to leave. "Are you being released?"

"The doctor was satisfied that there was nothing wrong with me. After a good night's rest and some fluids he said I could go back to work, but that I still needed to take it easy. I'm glad because all I want to do is get back on the case. I also want to get some food. I am so hungry". He glanced as Calleigh and saw her smile at this revelation. He was hoping to spend some time with her before heading to the lab and he hoped she might be up for some breakfast.

"That's great Eric. Even though I will need your help with the evidence I also want to make sure you're ready to go back to work and that you are safe. When you are not at work there will be a plain clothed officer with you at all times. I have this feeling we will be hearing from our captor again, and this time I want to be able to catch before he does anything". As Horatio left the room to check on Ryan he thought about what he told Eric. He had known him long enough to know that he was going to get back to the case as soon as possible, but he had to make sure he was safe.

Upon entering Ryan's room, Horatio was glad to see Ryan sitting up in bed eating some breakfast. He looked a lot better than last night, but still looked exhausted. "Ryan, it's good to see you awake and eating something. You had me a little worried last night". He wondered how long Ryan had been up and was a little irritated that no one called him about this. He would have to have a discussion with someone later, but right now he was glad that both Eric and Ryan were alright. He went over to get a closer look at Ryan. He looked worse close up but he still looked better than he had when the killer had him tied up. "Has the doctor been by to see you yet?"

"No, I haven't seen him yet, but I'm sorry for scaring you. I remembered being brought here and lots of commotion going on, but I just couldn't keep my eyes focused on anything. I had such a killer headache and just wanted to sleep it off". As he said the word 'killer' he remembered why he was here. "Did they catch the killer yet? I was told that we all made it out alive so I thought he may have been caught before he could finish the game. No one has told me anything yet". He didn't know why they hadn't told him anything yet, but they kept reassuring him one of his friends would update him on the case when they arrived.

"We haven't caught him, but I am hoping we have some new leads in the case. I need to get back to the lab to start analyzing the evidence. I am glad you are feeling better. For your protection there will be a plain clothed officer with you at all times until this case is solved. I don't think the killer is done with us yet and I want to keep you and Eric safe". Horatio examined the food that was sitting on Ryan's tray and realized he was extremely hunger; he had not eaten much since last night. "Now, I want you to eat everything on your plate and take it easy. I'm going to go and find your doctor to see how long it will be before you are released". He took one more look at Ryan and smiled before leaving the room.

Ryan was happy to have made it out alive, but he still had to wonder how they had all gotten so lucky. He was sure that he was going to be the Triangle Killer's next victim. He knew he didn't have all the answers yet and he wanted to find out, but right now he was still tired and having a hard time getting rid of his nasty headache. Maybe some food and rest was all that he needed. That is exactly what he needed before this happened, but he was not about to try and take another vacation anytime soon. Like Horatio and Eric, all he wanted to do was get back to the lab and help catch this killer.

* * *

When Horatio arrived at the crime lab, there were a lot of sympathetic faces looking at him. They had all wanted to find out how he was doing, but they also respected his space and left him to his work. They had been told that he was coming back to the lab to start working on the case and no one wanted to get in his way. He could tell they wanted to ask him about the case, but he was glad for their silence. He needed to focus on everything that had happened up to this point.

He went in search of Calleigh only to find that she had not come in yet. He knew that one of the reasons she had gone to the hospital was to bring Eric home. He would wait for her while reviewing the evidence that had been collected so far.

The evidence room was full of things that looked all too familiar. The sight brought memories of what happened, but he didn't have time to think about it. He needed to focus on the task at hand. As he was checking the evidence log, the door to the room opened.

"Hi Horatio, how long have you been here?" Calleigh had just gotten back from dropping Eric off at his place. She knew she needed to get back to the lab to help Horatio and was hoping to have beaten him here.

Horatio looked up, "Not long, did you take Eric home?"

"Yes, he said he wanted to shower up and get a bite to eat, but afterward he was coming in to help. I told him you would understand if he didn't come in right away but he insisted. He said we couldn't do this without him".

"That sounds like Eric". He looked once again at the collected evidence. "Have we started processing anything yet"?

"Yes, Valera is running some DNA trace that we found and Natalia is running the prints we pulled, but there is still plenty to go over. I also had them bring in the flowers from your house. I was going to check it for trace after dropping Eric off". She looked around the room and finally found the flowers that had gotten Horatio in an up roar just a few hours ago. They looked like beautiful flowers, but she couldn't help but notice the drawing of the broken triangle on the card. No wonder Horatio had become upset after receiving them. "I had Frank talk to the officer about the delivery guy and his van. He should be able to tell us more once he comes in".

"Calleigh, I think we should start at the beginning, what do we know about the abductions?" He knew that he had given his accounts of his abduction to one of the CSI's who had arrived on the scene, but he didn't know much about Eric or Ryan's abductions.

"Well, Eric's guess was that he was taken 3 nights ago. The last thing he remembered before waking up in the warehouse was arriving at his place after our night out together. He was angry when he left so I kept trying to call him that night. That would explain why he never answered his phone. I thought he was just trying to avoid me". When she learned of this she had felt a little guilty about not going after him that night. But had she gone with him, she could have been abducted as well. "When he woke up he wasn't sure what time or even day it was since the warehouse was void of windows. He said he didn't remember anything until that moment.

The description of this abduction was all too familiar. It sounded eerily like his, except that he had not just had dinner and a fight with Calleigh. He told Calleigh he had just arrived home and was getting out of his car and the next thing he remember was waking up in the same warehouse that Eric described. So far this information was not getting them anywhere. They didn't know Ryan's story yet, but they guessed that it would be the same, except for the fact that no one had even known he was missing.

Now that Ryan was feeling better Calleigh said that she was going to go back to the hospital and get his statement. She knew that Horatio would still be here processing the evidence when she got back.

* * *

Calleigh found Ryan sitting in bed watching the news on the TV. He noticed her before she got a chance to talk first, "Hi Calleigh, you're just in time, they're talking about the case and they're already saying that the Triangle Killer has struck again, but they almost sounded disappointed that it didn't result in the death of anyone. Well I for one can say I am glad that we all got out of there alive".

"Hi Ryan, I hear you are feeling better. Have you heard when they are planning on letting you out?" She thought Ryan was looking better, but he still looked tired. She knew that he had been exhausted before being abducted, so it was most likely the reason he was taking longer to feel better. She wondered if he would want to take more time off before coming back to work.

"They said they would let me out of here tomorrow. They wanted to keep me one more night to ensure I got enough rest. They said I was suffering from severe dehydration and extreme exhaustion. But now that I am feeling better all I want to do is get out of here and help you guys with the case. Do we have any leads yet?" Ryan had stopped watching the TV and was eager to hear Calleigh's response.

"No, this case is turning out just like the other ones so far, but Horatio is back at the lab going over the evidence. I need to take your official statement on your abduction though. Maybe there is something you might be able to tell us that will help the case". After she said this she noticed a slight hurt look on Ryan's face.

Ryan had been hoping Calleigh's visit was more than just a business one, but he knew she needed to process the information and maybe he knew something that would help. "Well, I remember packing up my stuff in my car for my short vacation out of town about 4 days ago. I drove out of town and decided to stop at a nearby motel for the night since I was tired of driving. But I don't remember ever making it to the check in desk. It was dark out as I got out of my car and the next thing I remember was waking up in the back of a moving van, but I soon fell unconscious again. The next thing I remember was waking up in what appeared to be a warehouse and I thought I could hear boats outside. I was tied to a chair that was bolted to the floor. I tried to get loose but couldn't. As I sat there for a while my captor came in and saw that I was awake. He told me that I was there for some fun and that there would be others to join us soon. He said he wanted to keep me fresh so he forced me to drink some water before he left again. But there must have been something in that water because when I woke up again I was sitting there looking at Horatio".

Calleigh had not realized his story would be so different. This was the first time any of the victims had made contact with the killer before the game started. But it may have just had something to do with that fact that Ryan had been headed out of town. "You said he gave you some water and it may have had something in it to make you sleep. I wonder if there are still any traces of the substance in your blood stream. Do you know if they took any blood samples from you?"

"I don't think so, but they may have while I was out". Ryan was trying to piece this information into the case. "Where are you going with this Calleigh?"

"I don't know yet, but this is not typical of something the killer as done before. I need to get this information back to Horatio along with a sample of your blood". She went out of the room and came back with a nurse a few minutes later. The nurse took a sample of Ryan's blood who then promptly handed it over to Calleigh. "I'll try and check on you later, ok Ryan". She knew he would have wanted her to stay since he looked bored, but she needed to get back to the lab and process this new information. She also needed to get someone out to the motel Ryan had stopped at to process the scene and see if there was anyone who saw anything. And lastly she just couldn't face him any longer. Every time she looked at him she felt so guilty. The whole time she was mad at him, he was at the warehouse suffering along with Eric and Horatio. The whole time he was with the triangle killer she allowed her anger to get to the point of wanting to write him up for not answering his voice mails and coming to help them search for Eric and Horatio. She knew she would eventually have to talk to Ryan about this if she was ever going to feel better. But now was not the time. She forced herself to look at Ryan one last time before leaving the room.

* * *

When Calleigh arrived back at the lab she was happy to see Eric there. She told Ryan's account of his abduction to both Horatio and Eric. She then found Frank and asked him to take Natalia and head over to the motel to process the scene Ryan had told her about. Maybe this new information and the change in the killer's pattern was just what they were looking for. But this information also brought back a previous thought she had earlier, that they might be dealing with a copy cat killer. The only reason she kept coming back to this conclusion on this case was because some of the details of this case were not adding up like they had in all the other cases. In all the other cases, the killer had chosen to do one thing different, and that was the way the chosen person died. It was almost as if the killer didn't like doing this part and wanted to keep it different so he would not start to enjoy it, but this was her own personal theory that she had yet to share with anyone. She thought it was time to discuss her new suspicions with Horatio.

xxxxx


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: **

* * *

Horatio had listened to Calleigh's theory that the killer could be a copy cat, but he didn't feel the same way. He had told Calleigh that while they were tied up in the warehouse their captor had revealed certain details about the past cases; details that had never gone public. So if they had a copy cat killer on their hands, how could he have had that knowledge? Horatio appreciated that she was trying to solve this crime, but he knew they still had to keep digging.

After his discussion with Calleigh, he spent the rest of the spent the rest of the day and night with her pouring over the collected evidence. Eric had joined them as well, but after spending the whole time in the lab, Horatio had insisted he go home and rest. They would start in again tomorrow. Calleigh had insisted that Horatio go home as well; which he told her he would, but after she left he finally decided to just sleep in his office. He figured he would save some poor officer a night in their car outside his house. He didn't think he needed any protection, but Calleigh had won that battle and there was to be someone with him until they caught this killer.

As he settled down on the couch in his office his cell phone went off. He looked at the caller ID and saw that it was Ryan calling, he was tired but he wanted to take this call in case something was wrong. "Mr. Wolfe, what can I do for you?" There was a brief pause, but finally there was a response, "Hello Horatio, I just wanted to call and see how you were doing tonight". Horatio knew instantly that this was not Ryan's voice, "Who is this?" He heard the caller sigh, "Now after all that time we spent together you still don't know who I am, I am so disappointed in you". Horatio's heart felt like it skipped a beat when he finally recognized the owner of the voice on the phone. "Why do you have Ryan's cell phone, if you've done anything to him I will find you and finish you once and for all". He was starting to fear the worse and was having a hard time keeping it from the killer.

"Mr. Wolfe is alright, but I thought I would keep some items, souvenirs if you like, from our time together. I just wanted to make sure you were getting a good night's rest on the couch in your office tonight". Before Horatio could respond the line went dead.

As soon as he realized the phone call was over he called the hospital to see if Ryan was ok. When the nurse finally got on the line and told him he was fine, he felt a little more relieved, but he asked that the call be transferred to Ryan's room. The nurse explained that Mr. Wolfe was sleeping, but Horatio didn't care, he needed to hear Ryan's voice.

As Horatio was listening to the ringing in his cell phone, it was soon replaced by a very tired sounding Ryan. "Hello, who is this?"

"I'm sorry to disturb your sleep Mr. Wolfe, but I had to know you were still safe at the hospital".

"Horatio is that you, I'm fine. Did something happen to make you think otherwise?" Ryan was sitting up in bed and fully awake now wondering what was wrong, he didn't like the tone in Horatio's voice.

"Ryan, I need to know if you have your cell phone with you".

"No, they said they didn't find it at the warehouse or with my car which was still at the motel. What's this all about?" He had never known Horatio to sound so concerned before, at least when it came to him.

Horatio felt a little better with this knowledge, but not much, "I received a call on my cell tonight and my caller ID indicated it was you. When I answered it I found the voice belonged to our captor. He must have taken your cell phone with him before he left. Listen, I want you to just forget about this for now and go back to sleep. I will see you in the morning when you are released from the hospital. Good Night Mr. Wolfe". He shut his cell phone and ended the call. He didn't want to give Ryan a chance to keep the conversation going since he had a lot to do before morning. He no longer felt he could sleep and went to find the night shift supervisor. He needed to see if he could track the GPS on Ryan's cell phone. He also needed to figure out how the killer knew he was going to be sleeping in his office. There were some new questions to be answered and he needed to work fast. This killer was living up to his promise of keeping in touch and this didn't sit well with him.

* * *

Horatio was on his latest cup of coffee, but how many he had had since receiving the call from the killer was unknown since he had stopped counting on his fourth cup. As he was looking over some evidence they recovered from the motel where Ryan had been abducted, Calleigh came into the room. He looked at her and saw that she had a very disapproving look on her face.

"Horatio, why didn't you call me last night and tell me what was happening. I shouldn't have had to hear about it from the night supervisor as he was leaving work". She knew that her tone of voice made it sound like she was mad at him, but she was just very concerned over this latest event and couldn't help how it sounded. "Did you even get any sleep after I left you?"

"I didn't want to wake you up since you had been here all night. There was not a lot you could have done". He figured if Calleigh had met the night supervisor she must have been briefed on last night's events, so he continued, "I had them track Ryan's cell but the killer must have turned the GPS off".

"Well next time you better call me. I don't want you handling this on your own". She was done scolding him for now. He looked awful and she didn't want to make him feel worse. "Have you had any breakfast yet, I thought we could get some on the way to the hospital. They're releasing Ryan this morning and I had a feeling you would want to be there to pick him up".

* * *

The drive to the hospital had remained a quiet one. Horatio had wanted to drive but Calleigh was able to persuade him that she should be the one to drive, saying that he could get some rest in the passenger's seat. She was a little worried about Horatio. She knew this whole thing was getting to him and that he felt solely responsible for Eric and Ryan's involvement. It was becoming quite obvious that the 'Triangle Killer' was not done with Horatio.

As they entered Ryan's room they saw that he was already dressed and looked very ready to leave. He definitely looked better than he had before. The rest seemed to have done his some good. "Hi Ryan, are you ready to leave?"

"Hey Calleigh, yes, I have been ready for the past hour, but the paperwork wasn't done yet". He looked at Horatio after responding to Calleigh and noticed that he looked awful. It looked like he hadn't slept since they were rescued from the warehouse. "Hi H, I didn't think you would be coming to get me as well". He didn't think he would see Horatio until he got back to the lab, but after last night's call he was not surprised.

"Mr. Wolfe, I am glad to see you looking better. I have sent the officer who is watching you ahead to check your condo so it should be secured by the time you get home". He had to make sure Ryan's place did not contain any surprises, but he secretly wished that Ryan would want to come to the lab. It would be easier to keep an eye on both Eric and Ryan if they were in the same building he was in.

"Thanks H, I feel so special that both of you came to take me home, but I really just want to get to work. I don't think I could sit still at home; I've been doing enough of that here. If you don't object I would just like to stop off at home to shower and change.

Horatio was secretly glad at this. "I think that can be arranged Mr. Wolfe".

After taking Ryan home, Calleigh and Horatio stopped to get a bite to eat before heading back to the lab. Calleigh knew that Horatio was anxious to get back, but she made sure they took their time during breakfast.

"Horatio, I am starting to worry about this connection between you and the killer. I don't know what kind of game he is playing now but I think you should scale down your involvement in the case". She didn't know how he would respond to this, but she didn't want Horatio spending all of his time at the lab while still being pursued by the killer. She was also worried about the case itself. Horatio was just too close to it and things may be overlooked, even though she knew that last part was probably not true. She had known Horatio long enough to know that he never overlooked anything.

"Now's not the time to discuss this Calleigh. I know you are doing what you think is best for the case, but we don't have time to remove anyone from the investigation. I think this link the killer has with me is just what we need to find him. I think his obsession with me may just be his downfall and I want to make sure I'm there when he falls". He didn't want to discuss this any further with Calleigh so he drank another sip of his coffee and got up to pay the bill. He needed to get back to the lab and keep working. He had thought about his link to the killer and knew that the killer had been watching him ever since the crimes started. He decided that he would use himself in any way if it helped them catch him.

As Horatio and Calleigh arrived at the lab, Eric was there to meet them. He took one look at Calleigh and knew that there was something wrong. He had heard about the latest interactions between Horatio and the killer and he figured it had something to do with this. This latest twist was starting to get to all of them and he feared things would only get worse before they got better. It was just a gut feeling he had, but he knew if there was anyone he could talk to about it, it was Calleigh.

"Hey H, Hey Calleigh, I heard Ryan was released from the hospital". Eric's eyes rested on Calleigh.

"Hi Eric, have you been here long?" Calleigh didn't know if he had heard what happened last night but she was anxious to talk to him about it as well as her conversation with Horatio.

"I got here about a half hour ago. How's Ryan doing?" He figured they must have dropped him off at his condo since he didn't see him.

"He's doing fine. He said after he showered and changed he would be coming in to work". Calleigh had to chuckle silently to herself after she said that. Eric and Ryan were such different people, but when it came to work their dedication was the same. Here both of these guys get kidnapped by the triangle killer and end of up the hospital, but all they can think about is getting back to work and solving this case. She just hoped that with Ryan's help they could finally find something and catch this guy.

As if Eric were reading her mind he said, "Great, we can use all the help on this case we can get. Maybe Ryan will have something to add to the case; after all he has had more time to catch up on his sleep then the rest of us have lately".

Calleigh was happy to hear Eric joking again, or at least she hoped he was joking and wasn't still mad about the time off that Horatio had allowed Ryan to take before they were abducted.

* * *

Horatio had been reviewing the results of some of the evidence for the past 2 hours when Ryan showed up to work. He was looking a lot better than he had and Horatio was grateful that he had both Eric and Ryan back at work where they belonged. The time with the killer still weighed heavily on his mind, but seeing everyone working together on the case made him momentarily forget the killer was still out there and for some reason obsessed with him.

"Welcome back Mr. Wolfe, you're looking better". Horatio followed this statement with a small grin.

"Hi H, I can't tell you how glad I am to get out of that hospital and back to work, where do you want me to start". He was also very relieved to be alive, but he didn't want to add this fact to his statement since Calleigh had told him Horatio was feeling very responsible for his and Eric's abduction.

"Well, I think you can go and help Natalia in the media room. She was exploring some new theories on the killer's identity and was working with a profiler to see how it all fits". Horatio expected Ryan to be eager to jump into the case, but he wanted to make sure he eased back into it. Unlike Eric, Ryan had already been suffering from exhaustion before he was abducted and he didn't want to have Ryan run himself ragged and end up back at the hospital.

"Thanks H; if you need me, you know where you can find me." With a parting glance at Horatio, Ryan headed down the hallway in search of Natalia.

"Hi Natalia, Horatio suggested I come and give you a hand, he said you had some possible theories on the identity of our killer". He was hoping they had something on this guy. The sooner they found something the sooner the guy would get caught and their lives could get back to normal.

"Hi Ryan welcome back. How are you feeling?" She knew he was probably getting sick of hearing this, but she didn't care. She really cared about Ryan and wanted to make sure he was ready to get back to work. She knew he looked better than when she saw him last, but he still looked like he didn't feel very well. She wasn't quite sure what it was, but the way he was rubbing his temples and closing his eyes, she guessed he had a headache.

"I'm fine Natalia; I just want to get back to work and to put all of this behind us". He didn't sound very convincing; he knew he was no good at fooling Natalia. Out of all the people he worked with, she was the one who knew him the best, besides Alex or course.

"Then how come you're rubbing your temples. Do you have another headache like last night?" From the look on his face she knew she was right. "Maybe you should just go home and take it easy; after all you never did get to go on your mini vacation".

He knew he couldn't keep this up so he didn't even keep trying, "I guess I can't fool you can I Natalia. It's just a small headache, but I've had it ever since I got up this morning. Actually I am not even sure I ever got rid of the one that started last night".

"Did you mention this to the doctor before you left the hospital?"

"Yes Mother, I told the doctor and he gave me two aspirin and told me to call him in the morning". He knew that Natalia was concerned, but it was just a headache. He was known to get a migraine on occasion.

Natalia was glad to hear Ryan joking with her; it made her feel a little better. "OK Ryan, but if it doesn't go away or it gets worse I just want you to go home".

Ryan gave Natalia one of his famous smiles and started reviewing what she had been working on. He knew they would probably spend the rest of the day and possibly night going over bits and pieces of the evidence and that was fine with him. At least he was doing something and wasn't just lying around waiting for someone else to find the killer.

* * *

Natalia couldn't believe the time when she looked at the clock. It was already 9:30. She looked over at Ryan and saw that he had put his head down and was sleeping. Poor guy, he was so tired, but he never said anything about going home. She decided to wake him and offer to drive him home. She knew that his car was still being processed for possible evidence to the case.

"Ryan, it's time to wake up and head home". As she was trying to shake him awake, Horatio walked into the room.

"Ms. Boa Vista, I see your still here. You should have headed home long ago". He saw that Ryan was also in the room and was resting his head on the table. "It's time both you and Mr. Wolfe headed home".

"You read my mind Horatio; I was just trying to get Ryan up so I could take him home". She shook him again and this time he lifted his head and looked up at her".

"Natalia, what time is it?" He was rubbing his eyes and forehead rather vigorously

"It's about 9:30, do you still have that headache". She didn't like the fact that his head still hurt. He had not mentioned his headache again while they were reviewing the case so she figured it had finally disappeared.

"Yes, I think the aspirin just wore off is all". He kept rubbing his head.

Horatio had been listening quietly to their conversation but felt it was time to jump in, "How long have you been having this headache Mr. Wolfe?"

"It's nothing H; I am just still a little tired". Ryan tried to hide his eyes from Horatio, in case they would give away the pain he was feeling behind them.

"Mr. Wolfe, if this doesn't go away I want you to get it checked out. In the meantime Natalia will drive you home so he can get a proper nights rest". He helped Ryan up from his chair and noticed that he staggered a little bit when he stood up. He figured this was due to his headache and having just woken up, but it still worried him.

"Ms Boa Vista, I will inform the officer who is watching Ryan's place that you are bringing him home. When you're done with that I want you to go straight home as well".

"What about you Horatio, are you going to go home to?" She knew he was probably going to make some excuse to stay late and end up sleeping here, but she wouldn't argue with him if that was the case.

"I still have a few things to look over but I will see both of you in the morning". He walked them both to the door and watched as they headed to the parking garage. He made the phone call to the officer outside of Ryan's condo and then went to lie down on the couch in his office. He hoped it would be a quiet night and that he could get some sleep.

xxxxx


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: **

* * *

Horatio was back in the dark windowless warehouse facing the triangle killer. "It's time to choose Horatio, who will it be Eric or Ryan".

Horatio put his head down and refused to look the killer in the eye, "I'm not playing your game".

"That's not good enough; you need to tell me who you have chosen". The killer was now leaning over staring Horatio right in the face. "I know you have one picked so why don't you just tell me".

"As I have already told you, I will not play your game". Horatio had wanted to shout this at the killer, but he didn't want it to sound like he was being weak.

The killer stood up and turned around so Horatio was looking at his back. "Do I have to choose for you? The killer then turned around again and grabbed Horatio's chin forcing him to look up at his masked face. "Do you think you're too good to play my game?"

"No". Horatio spit out at the killer as he shouted this. He felt he was starting to slip up and feared the battle was now lost.

"Well then answer me Horatio Caine, which one have you chosen?" The killer turned around and pointed his hand at Eric and then to Ryan.

This was too much for Horatio to handle. He couldn't take it anymore and he finally cracked under the pressure and said "Alright, I choose …."

Horatio sat straight up in bed; sweat was running down his face. He just had another nightmare. This was his 4th dream about the killer since his rescue and each dream ended the same way, he was about the say who his choice was and then he would wake up. He didn't know how much more of this he could take. He was losing sleep and he was no closer to finding the killer. Per Calleigh's demands he had stopped sleeping in his office. Calleigh thought he would sleep better in his own bed. But it didn't really matter where he slept, or tried to sleep. Each time he fell asleep the dream would start and each time he woke up he couldn't get back to sleep. He would then spend the rest of the night going over the case. Tonight was no different; now that he was awake he went downstairs to the kitchen, made some coffee and started going over the case again until it was time to go to work. Horatio had not yet realized it, but his obsession with the killer was becoming just as strong as the killers obsession with him.

As Horatio arrived to work Calleigh couldn't help but notice how tired he looked. She knew that he had stopped sleeping in his office but apparently sleeping at home wasn't doing the trick either. She was also hoping things would have gotten back to normal for Horatio if he got back to his normal routine. She wanted to talk to him about it, but based on the way he was looking as he walked up to her she decided to pursue this topic later.

"Calleigh, have you seen Eric or Mr. Wolfe yet?' She was getting used to this. For the last couple of days this was the first question he would ask when he arrived.

"Hi Horatio, Eric is working with Natalia but I haven't seen Ryan yet". She noticed the look on Horatio's face change as she mentioned that Ryan was not here.

"I want to know as soon as Mr. Wolfe arrives". There was a sense of urgency in Horatio's voice as he said it.

Calleigh was on her way to the DNA lab when she saw Ryan walk in. "Hi Ryan". She noticed that he looked like he had just gotten out of bed, which was very unusual for him. "Hey, do you feel alright today?"

"Hi Calleigh, sorry I'm late. My power was out this morning and I didn't hear the alarm. On top of that my water heater wasn't working and I didn't feel like taking a cold shower". What he told Calleigh was partly the truth. He really did wake up late to only find that there was no hot water, but the part about the power going out was what he wanted her to think. The truth was that he just didn't feel very good and had been hard getting out of bed this morning. He didn't know why he wasn't feeling good but thought that maybe he was getting the flu. He had started to feel horrible right before bed and, while sleeping was not difficult, it didn't seem to make him feel better. He had been very glad when his headache finally went away and for the last 2 days he was feeling just fine, acting as if nothing had ever happened to him. But now he was sick again. He didn't want to mention it to Calleigh because she would have made a big fuss over it and probably go and tell Horatio. He didn't need everyone staring at him again. When he first came back to work it was very apparent to everyone he was having a terrible time getting rid of his headache. He didn't want it to go back to this. He just wanted everyone to forget so he could start to forget

"OK, well Horatio wanted to know when you got in so you might as well go tell him yourself". She wanted to talk more about Ryan's appearance, but she knew that Horatio might not like it if she held him. She made it a point to talk to Ryan later.

"Thanks, Calleigh, I just need to go and put my stuff away in my locker and then I'll go and find Horatio". He briefly wondered what this was about, but he remembered that for the last 2 day's Horatio wanted to know when he came in to work and when he left for home. He figured it was just Horatio's way of keeping track of him. Well as soon as he put his stuff away he would go and seek him out.

* * *

Horatio had been waiting for Ryan to come into work and decided he had waited long enough. As he went to check with someone he bumped into Calleigh. "Calleigh, has Ryan come in yet?"

"Hey Horatio, he came in about 30 minutes ago. I told him to come and find you. He hasn't found you yet?" She was wondering if Ryan had just ran into someone else and had stopped to talk. She decided to go and find him so Horatio wouldn't worry. "I'll go find him and tell him you want to see him. He probably just got sidetracked".

"Thank you Calleigh, I'll be in the evidence room". He turned and walked away while Calleigh headed in the opposite direction.

Calleigh decided to look in the locker room first since she knew this was where he had said he was going. She opened the door and walked in a few steps. She looked around and was satisfied that no one was in here. As she turned to leave a noise from somewhere got her attention. She turned around and walked toward the source and found Ryan trying to get up off the floor. "Oh my god Ryan, are you all right". She immediately went over to help him sit up. "What happened"?

"I don't really know what happened". He rubbed back of his head. "I remember coming in here, putting my stuff away and walking over to the mirror, then all of a sudden I'm waking up on the floor. I tried to get up but I was so dizzy that I thought I would wait for a few minutes before trying again, that's when I heard you come in".

Calleigh decided he needed to get off the floor and onto the bench so she could check him over. "Here, let me help you up so I can check your head". Since he had been rubbing his head she thought he must have hit it on something and wanted to get a better look. She carefully felt her way around his head moving his hair to get a look at his scalp. "Well I don't see anything but I can sure feel a lump". She took his hand and let him feel the lump for himself.

"Oh great, that's all I need". As he kept feeling his head, he winced every time he felt the bump.

Calleigh really wanted to get him checked out but knew he would refuse to go and see a doctor so she thought of the next best thing, "I think Alexx should have a look at you, you could have a concussion".

"That might be a good idea; at least she can give me something for the pain". He allowed Calleigh to help him up and lead him to the door. He was still feeling a little dizzy so he was grateful for Calleigh's help.

As Calleigh was helping Ryan they ran into Natalia. "Hey Natalia, could you go and tell Horatio that I am talking Ryan to see Alexx, thanks". She started walking away before Natalia could respond. She knew that Natalia would have wanted to know why she taking Ryan to see Alexx, but she didn't want to waste time. She really just wanted him looked over.

Natalia didn't waste any time finding Horatio since Calleigh made the request sound urgent. She gave him Calleigh's message which he promptly thanked her as he left the room.

Horatio had only been told that Calleigh had taken Ryan to go see Alexx, but he didn't know the reason. This made him walk faster to Alexx's room in order to find out. On his way he walked past a few curious faces, but he didn't have time to stop and talk.

As he made his way into Alexx's room he saw that Ryan was sitting up on the table. Alexx was shining a flashlight into his eyes. "Alexx, what happened?" Horatio noticed Calleigh was also in the room and walked closer to him to respond so that Alexx could continue with her examination.

"Horatio, when I went to look for Ryan, I found him lying on the locker room floor. I think he tripped and hit his head. I thought that Alexx should take a look at him in order to rule out a concussion".

"Good work Calleigh". He then turned his attention back to Alexx. "Alexx how is Mr. Wolfe?"

Alexx finished her examination before answering, "He doesn't have a concussion, but he probably has one hell of a headache based on the size of the lump on his head". She then offered Ryan a glass of water followed by some Advil. "I would recommend a small bag of ice until the swelling goes down".

Ryan greedily accepted the offered water and medicine. He knew once his headache was gone, he could jump back into the case. "H, I just tripped over something, it's no big deal". He didn't know if Horatio would buy this excuse, but he didn't want to be sent home. If Horatio knew that right before he passed out, he had been feeling very dizzy and lightheaded; he would definitely make him go home to rest. He was tired of resting, even though he knew deep down that this would be the best thing for him. He still felt lousy and this bump on his head didn't make it any better.

"It is a big deal Mr. Wolfe, are you well enough to stay at work?" He knew this probably sounded unsympathetic and would hear about it from Calleigh later on, but he really just wanted Ryan close and hoped he was able to stay.

"Once the medicine starts working I should be good to go. It's just a little bump; it's nothing that a 'Wolfe' can't handle". He didn't know why he used his last name when referring to himself, but he guessed it was just because he was used to it.

"All right then Mr. Wolfe; if anything changes I want you to let me know". Horatio was still worried, but there really wasn't much he could do about it at the present moment. Before leaving he turned to Alexx and said "Please keep an eye on him until he feels better and then send him to my office".

"Oh Horatio, you know I wouldn't let anything happen to one of my babies". Alexx turned and smiled at Ryan as Horatio exited the room. "As for you Ryan, I want you to lay here and hold this ice to your head until you feel better. I don't want you getting up and falling down in here. I just straightened out this place and I don't want to have to clean it all up again".

Ryan knew she was just joking about that last part. He knew she was just hiding the concern she was feeling inside. "Yes Mom, I promise I will stay put and not make a mess".

"You do that Ryan". She patted his shoulder and walked over to where Calleigh was standing.

"Calleigh, what is going on with Ryan and Horatio?" It hadn't been hard to notice the change in Horatio and Ryan after they were rescued. She was very worried about both of them. The only one that didn't seem to have any ill effects from their captivity was Eric. "Ever since we got Horatio, Eric and Ryan back things have not been the same. Horatio isn't sleeping and he appears paranoid whenever Ryan isn't around".

Calleigh knew exactly how Alexx felt. "I don't know Alexx; I've noticed a few things as well. I tried talking to Horatio, but he either says there's nothing wrong or he finds an excuse to not talk about it".

"Have you tried talking to Eric to see if something happened while they were in the warehouse that we don't know about"? Alexx knew that Eric and Calleigh were seeing one another and figured they may have talked more about this.

"I did, but he couldn't remember anything that would cause Horatio to act this way. He thought that maybe the killer's calls to him were getting to him, but the killer hasn't called in the last 2 days so I don't think this is the case". After she had talked to Eric she had hoped he was correct and that Horatio would start acting like himself since he wasn't in contact with the killer.

"Do you want me to go and talk to him?" Alexx had known Horatio for a long time and thought that if Calleigh couldn't get him to open up, perhaps she could.

"No, I will go and talk to him again. I need you to look after Ryan". If Horatio wasn't going to talk about it she didn't know what else she could do about it, but she had to try again.

* * *

Calleigh found Horatio sitting at his desk looking very relaxed. She wondered if he was getting tired and ready to admit he could use a rest. She almost didn't want to disturb him, but someone had to say something and now was as good a time as any. "Hey Horatio, can I talk to you ".

Horatio slowly looked up at Calleigh. He sat there staring at her for a few seconds before saying anything. "Calleigh, I was wondering when you were going to show up". He had sensed Calleigh knew something was wrong and knew it was just a matter of time before she demanded to know what it was.

"Horatio, I just wanted to sit and talk with you about this case, and I don't mean the evidence. I want to know what is going on with you. Ever since we found you, nothing has been the same. We managed to get all 3 of you out of that warehouse and your all safe, but you keep acting like this game isn't over. I know that he is calling you to get into your head, but I don't think he would risk kidnapping any of you again since you each have someone watching over you". She knew she had said a mouthful to Horatio, but she just had to get it all out.

"I can assure you that everything is alright. I know that I have not been getting as much sleep as I should but it's nothing I can't handle". Horatio didn't think she would accept this, but he was not in the mood for sharing his feelings.

"Horatio, I just want to help you, but I can't do that unless you tell me what's bothering you". She was not going to let him just blow this off like he did every other time she tried to find out what was wrong.

"The only thing that is bothering me is that fact that this guy is still out there and able to kill again". He was starting to become a little annoyed with this conversation. He never liked the attention focused on him and that was exactly what Calleigh was doing.

Calleigh was not about to give up now, but she knew if she pushed him to hard it would only make it harder the next time she tried to talk to him. "Horatio, you would tell me if there was something really wrong here, wouldn't you?"

"I would Calleigh, but right now I don't want you to worry about it. Now if you will excuse me I need to go and check on something with Eric". Horatio grabbed his cell phone and left his office while Calleigh just sat there.

Calleigh didn't know what to make of the conversation she had just had with Horatio, but she knew it wasn't going to be the last time she would have this talk with him. She was just getting up to leave when Natalia came rushing into the office. "Calleigh, where is Horatio".

"He was going to go and talk with Eric, why what's wrong". She could tell that whatever it was it was urgent.

"It's Ryan, he just collapsed and Alexx couldn't get him to respond so she called 911" There was a frighten tone in her voice.

"Oh my god, I need you to go and find Horatio. I'm going to go and check on Ryan". She was worried, very worried. She didn't know if the bump on Ryan's head had anything to do with this latest incident but she needed to find out. She also hoped this news didn't upset Horatio anymore than he already was.

* * *

As Calleigh reached the room that Ryan had previously been resting in, she saw that the EMT's had arrived. They were just starting their preliminary examination on Ryan and were too busy for questions. Calleigh saw Alexx standing on the other side of Ryan and went over to her. "Alexx, what happened, Ryan seemed fine a little bit ago".

"Oh Calleigh, it was awful. He said he was starting to feel better and that his head didn't hurt anymore so I didn't see any reason why he couldn't get up. I told him to take it easy but when he stood up he doubled over in pain. He was in so much pain I didn't know what to do for him. I tried to get him to lie back down but then he collapsed. I tried to get him to respond but he wouldn't wake up". Alexx was practically in tears. She didn't like seeing one of her babies in any kind of pain.

"Alexx, it's ok. You didn't cause this". She didn't know what to say to make her feel better. She could tell that Alexx was taking this very hard.

"I know, but I should have had him lay there for a little while longer, or maybe I should have insisted he have his head looked at after he fell". As she said this she was straining to see what was happening with Ryan.

"Alexx, this is not your fault. You said you thought was feeling better. You didn't know this would happen". She knew this wouldn't make her feel any better, but she needed to say something to distract her.

As Calleigh was trying to calm Alexx down and let the EMT's do their work Horatio came rushing in.

"What happened here, Natalia said Mr. Wolfe collapsed". As soon as Horatio saw where Ryan was, he didn't wait for a response. He rushed over to EMT's who were now loading the unconscious Ryan onto a stretcher. He looked at the EMT who appeared to be in charge, "What can you tell me about Mr. Wolfe".

"When we got here, we found him to be unresponsive and his breathing was labored. We took his vitals and his pulse was very shallow. We have him on oxygen, but if his levels don't come up soon we may have to intubate him". The EMT finished strapping Ryan to the stretcher before finishing. "Now if you will excuse me, I need to get him to the hospital".

It didn't take Horatio long to say "I'm coming along". He followed the EMTs to the ambulance but while he was waiting for them to secure Ryan inside his cell phone rang. He wanted to ignore it but knew he couldn't do that.

"This is Horatio". This was his usual greeting when he didn't know who was calling.

"Hello Horatio, I see your chosen one has finally fallen. I hope you're satisfied with your choice because there is no going back now". The line suddenly went dead.

Horatio was frozen in place for a second before dropping his cell on the ground. He then rushed into the ambulance as they shut the door and drove off to the hospital.

xxxxx


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12:**

* * *

The words 'chosen one' kept running through Horatio's mind the entire ride to the hospital. He tried to focus on Ryan, but he couldn't get the killers words out of his head.

Once they got to the hospital they told him he would have to sit in the waiting room and they would let him know of Ryan's condition.

How could this be happening? He never gave an answer to the killer when he was asked to choose. As he was remembering his time in captivity, he felt someone grab his shoulder and shake him gently. He wanted to jump out of his seat and strike whoever it was, but he remembered where he was and just turned his body away. As he looked up at the person who had distracted his memories he saw that it was Calleigh. She was looking at him with a very worried look in her eyes.

"Horatio, is there any news about Ryan?" She had tried several attempts to verbally get his attention, but had to resort to shaking him back to reality.

"Calleigh, when did you get here?" He had a lost look on his face as he looked up, then he continued to say. "No I haven't heard anything on Mr. Wolfe's condition yet".

Since they had to sit and wait Calleigh thought this was the perfect time to have a chat with Horatio. "Horatio, what is going on, and this time I want you to tell me?"

He had turn away from Calleigh and gazed upon the emergency door entrance. "This is my fault Calleigh. I'm the reason Ryan is here".

"This is not your fault Horatio; you didn't put him in here". Calleigh wished he would turn around and look at her, "Does this have anything to do with the phone call you received before getting in the ambulance?" At the mention of the phone call he turned around and looked at her. "Someone said that after you answered it you looked like you had just seen a ghost and then your hand fell to your side letting the phone fall to the ground". She used this opportunity to return his cell phone. "I opened it to see who had called you but it was an unrecognized number. I also saw that you had received a text message at the same time. What did the caller mean by "your chosen one has finally fallen?"

Horatio look away again; it was too hard to face her. "Apparently I played the game and lost". He didn't know what else to say.

"What are you talking about Horatio, are you talking about the game your abductor was trying to get you to play. You told me that you refused to choose and when he was trying to force you it didn't work". Calleigh was a little confused at this point, but she knew she needed to keep Horatio talking in order to find out more.

"I did refuse to play, but as I was sitting here waiting for Ryan I remembered something about that night that may explain why Ryan is here". Horatio stopped for a second before continuing. "The killer had placed 2 trigger devices in my hands and told me that it would help me choose. I thought I had beaten his latest attempts to get me to choose, but I think I underestimated him. I thought by pressing the trigger on each of the devices at the exact same time it would prevent the killer from using them against me. It appeared to work when the electrical currents stopped the instant I pressed the triggers, but what I apparently assumed was wrong".

"I thought you said they hadn't worked". Calleigh remembered when Horatio described the devices and how the killer had intended to use them. They had not spent too much time exploring the reason why the killer had decided to try them with Horatio. They were also not a main focus since they could not find any evidence of the devices existence. Horatio had told them how the killer removed them from the room. He had assumed they were removed because the killer had realized they did not work. "

"Apparently they did". Horatio really didn't want to talk about this anymore. He just wanted to see Ryan and know that he was alright. He wondered what was taking the doctor so long.

It was as if the doctor had been reading Horatio's mind as he chose this moment to walk through the emergency room door.

The doctor headed to where they were sitting and stopped in front of Horatio, "Are you Lieutenant Caine?"

Horatio looked at the doctor, "Yes I am. How is Mr. Wolfe doing?"

"He was unresponsive and having difficulty breathing on his own when he came in, but we managed to stabilize him and get his vitals back to an acceptable level. He briefly woke up and complained about being in pain, but since I didn't know what was wrong I was hesitant to give him anything. While he was awake he asked to see you". The doctor stopped and waited for a response.

"Do you have any idea what caused this?" Horatio was glad Ryan had briefly woken and asked for him, but he needed to find out what happened.

"We couldn't find anything on his initial examination, but we have sent some blood samples to the lab for analysis. I also understand he fell prior to this and hit his head so I have also ordered a CT scan". He wished he had more information for the Lieutenant but he didn't have any answers yet.

At the mention of blood work Calleigh felt the need to join in the conversation. "Horatio, we already took a blood sample from Ryan after you were rescued and there was nothing there".

The doctor looked over at Calleigh as she said this, "And you are?"

"Oh sorry I'm Calleigh Duquesne, I work with Ryan Wolfe". She put out her hand to shake the doctor's hand.

"What is this about blood tests? Was Mr. Wolfe ill before this happened?" The doctor was hoping this news would help with a diagnosis.

"No, he wasn't sick before, but he was here at the hospital for a couple of days and was released about 3 days ago". She thought he should have already known this if they had looked at his files, but obviously this was not the case.

"Why was he here if he wasn't sick?" The doctor had a puzzled look on his face.

"I'm surprised you didn't already know. He was in here with two other people after having escaped the 'Triangle Killer'. He was very dehydrated and exhausted and they had kept him under observation for a couple of days". She didn't know if she should have offered so much information but she didn't want to have to explain it again.

The puzzled look on the doctor's face was now replaced with one of understanding. "Oh yes, I remember that, I'm sorry that I didn't realize it sooner. I didn't have time to review his file yet, it's been a busy day". He knew this was no excuse but it was all he could offer."Well if you still have the earlier sample I would really love to have it analyzed against the samples we took today. It might help us figure out what is wrong with him".

"I'll have someone bring it to you". Calleigh made a mental note to call Eric and have him bring it over.

"Thank you, now let me to take you to Mr. Wolfe?" The doctor led them to Ryan's room.

* * *

Ryan was lying in the hospital bed half asleep when he heard someone enter his room. He was tired and just wanted to drift off to sleep in hopes the pain in his head and abdomen would go away, but he wanted to see his visitors. He opened his eyes to see that Horatio and Calleigh had come in. He wanted to smile and say something to them, but he just didn't have the strength. Instead he just nodded his head a little.

Horatio was the first to speak, "Mr. Wolfe, you gave us quite a scare, but the doctor told us your doing better than when you first came in".

Ryan wished he felt better, but as long as they thought he looked better that was enough. He didn't want them to worry more than they already were. "Hi H," was all he could manage to get out before he was hit with a coughing spell.

When the coughing didn't seem to be letting up Calleigh grabbed the glass of water on his side table and instantly brought it to Ryan's mouth. Ryan took a few sips and appeared to be a little better. "There, that seems to be better". She gave him a quick once over with her eyes. She didn't like the way he looked. He was so pale and tired looking. He was also shaking when he tried to help her hold the cup of water to his mouth.

Horatio waited for Calleigh to finish before he said, "I promise you Ryan, we're going to find out what is wrong with you and get you out of here as soon as possible".

Calleigh was starting to feel angry as she listen to Horatio, she needed to get him out in the hall way so that she could have a little talk with him. "Ok Ryan, I think we'll leave you to rest for a bit while I have a talk with Horatio". She motioned Horatio to follow her to the hallway.

"Horatio, we need to talk and I didn't want to do it in front of Ryan. I think that it's time for you to back out of the investigation. You are just way to close to the killer and I don't think it would be in anyone's best interest if you stayed on the case". She knew this sounded harsh, but she needed to get her point across.

"Calleigh, I understand your concern and will consider it, but right now we need everyone working on this case more than ever". Horatio thought this would be the end of the discussion, but he was wrong.

"I really think you need to back off the case and take it easy. If I have to I will take this matter up the ladder and have them officially remove you from the case". She was hoping it didn't come to this, but she would do what she had to in order to solve the case.

Horatio knew Calleigh was right, but lucky for her he was too tired to fight back. He would take some time to rest and then he would come back to the case, but what he told Calleigh was "There will be no need to do that; I will back off from the investigation".

Horatio then went back into Ryan's room to sit with him and wait until the test results came back.

xxxxx


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13:

* * *

Horatio had told Calleigh to go home for the night and that he would sit with Ryan. He had several reasons for staying but the main reason was to make sure that nothing further happened. If something were to happen he would be right here.

He was also glad for a break. The past couple of days had started to blue together as he grew more and more tired. He found the recliner in the room and moved it over to Ryan's bed. It wasn't the best chair to sleep in but it would do for now. He just wanted to make sure he was close in case Ryan needed something.

It didn't take long for him to fall asleep once he got settled on the chair. For the most part his sleep was restful, except for the couple of times the nurse had come in to check on Ryan. She had to wake Ryan up at one point because his blood pressure had dropped to a low level and she wanted to make sure he was ok, which he was. Aside from that Ryan's night also appeared to be a restful one.

As morning dawned Horatio awoke to the sounds of the day shift making their rounds. He wondered if they would have the results of Ryan's blood tests. He decided not to wait for them and got up to find Ryan's nurse.

One of the nurses stopped him as he came out of Ryan's room, "You must be Lieutenant Caine. One of the night shift nurses told me you had stayed with Mr. Wolfe last night".

"Yes that is correct". Horatio was glad he didn't have to go far to find anyone. "I was wondering if they had any of the test results back from the lab yet."

As the nurse looked over some paperwork she had in her hand she said "I don't know, let me take a look in the computer". She walked over and looked in the computer that was in the nurse's station, "It says that the lab results were processed and sent to the doctor for evaluation. Why don't I call him to see if he can come and talk to you about them"? She grabbed the phone and placed a call to the doctor.

While Horatio waited for the doctor he went back into Ryan's room. Another nurse was in there with him checking his vitals. He looked at Ryan and thought he was looking better, "Good Morning Ryan, how are you feeling"?

"Hi H, I think I'm feeling better but it could just be whatever they have me on". Ryan raised his arm up to show off the IV that he was connected to. "Have you been here all night? I thought I saw you in the chair when I woke up during the night".

"Yes Ryan, I just wanted to make sure you were safe". Horatio would like to have said more about the case and why they thought he wasn't safe, but he didn't want to frighten him.

"Thanks H, but why wouldn't I have been safe, do you know the reason why I was brought here?" They still had not told him much since he got here, but then again he really was in no shape to hear the answer. Having Horatio sit with him all night to make sure he was safe was so out of character that whatever the news was it was probably not good.

"I don't want you to worry about it right now. I want you to take care of yourself and get better. You let me do all of the worrying". He knew Ryan had a right to know, but now was not the time.

Ryan wasn't satisfied with the answer and wanted to discuss the issue further, but he was interrupted by his doctor's arrival. Maybe the doctor would be able to tell him what he wanted to know.

The doctor was the same one that Horatio had talked to last night. "Hello doctor, I was told that you had the results of Mr. Wolfe's blood tests?"

The doctor looked in Horatio's direction when he heard him speaking, "Yes I do lieutenant Caine". The doctor turned and looked at Ryan, "Ryan, you're looking better this morning, how are you feeling?"

"Better I guess, but what blood tests is Horatio referring to". He wasn't aware that they had taken any samples from him.

The doctor kept his gaze on Ryan's face. "We took some samples after you arrived last night and had the lab do a complete blood work up to look for the presence of toxic substances. We were hoping the results would help us figure out what might be causing your symptoms".

"Do you have the results doctor?" Horatio didn't wait to see if Ryan was going to ask any more questions.

The doctor turned his attention back to Horatio. "Yes, but perhaps we should let Mr. Wolfe rest and we can discuss this outside".

Horatio went over to Ryan "I know that you want to know what is going on and you are entitled to that, but please let me talk to the doctor alone first and then I will come back and answer all of your questions". He really hoped Ryan was ok with this.

Ryan was too tired to argue, he could wait for Horatio to come back with answers to his question. "Sure H, as long as you promise to come back and tell me what you know".

Horatio was glad he didn't get any protests from Ryan. He followed the doctor out in the hallway so they could talk.

"Doctor, you said you had the test results, did they tell you anything?" Horatio assumed the doctor must know something since he wanted to discuss it away from Ryan.

The doctor pulled the test results out of the folder he had been carrying. "I reviewed the results but I'm not sure if we're any closer to knowing what's wrong with Mr. Wolfe than we did before".

"Explain please", Horatio was growing inpatient.

"The results show there is a high level of something in his blood, but at this point the substance is unknown. We finally got the previous sample of Mr. Wolfe's blood to the lab and I am hoping that a comparison of the 2 samples will tell us more".

Horatio wasn't satisfied with the doctor's explanation, "What are you trying to tell me doctor? Do you know what it wrong with Mr. Wolfe or not?"

"Well it means that he has been poisoned with an unknown substance. Whatever is in his blood is causing his cells to mutate and attack his internal organs. The attack on his body appears to be moving at a slow rate, but we've already seen evidence of damage to his lungs and liver. Fortunately the damage is reversible for now, but until we know what poison was used we can only assume it will continue to slowly run its course through Mr. Wolfe's body causing major damage to all of his organs and eventually death". He hoped Horatio understood this was only speculation at this point since they didn't even know what they were dealing with.

"Thank you doctor, I will need to take a sample of Mr. Wolfe's blood and your lab results back to my lab. Perhaps we can find something you missed". Horatio meant this as more of a statement of what was to happen rather than a request.

"Yes of course, I'll have one of the nurses get whatever you need. I'm sorry I don't have any more information for you".

"Well if you will excuse me, I need to go and talk to Mr. Wolfe right now". He turned away from the doctor and walked back into Ryan's room.

* * *

When Horatio walked back into Ryan's room he saw that he was sleeping. He didn't want to disturb him so he decided he would talk to him later. Before leaving he looked down at Ryan and said "Ryan, I promise you we will find out what is going on. I never meant for you to be here in the hospital like this. If I could I would change places with you". Horatio didn't know if Ryan could hear him, but he wanted Ryan to know that he wasn't alone. He took one last glimpse at Ryan before walking out into the hallway.

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	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14: **

* * *

Horatio pulled out his cell phone and called Calleigh. He had asked her to come to the hospital so she could pick up a recent sample of Ryan's blood and take it back their lab for processing. He didn't know if his team would find anything new, but his CSI were trained to think outside the box and may have better luck finding something the doctors here may have missed.

After talking to Calleigh he found his way to the cafeteria to get a bite to eat. He couldn't even remember the last time he had a proper meal, but cafeteria food was better than nothing. He had chosen a bagel and a cup of coffee for breakfast and was just about to sit down to eat it when his phone rang. He looked at his phone and saw that it was an unknown number. "This is Horatio".

"Good Morning Horatio, I see you're still at the hospital, I hope everything is o.k."

Horatio didn't need to hear the voice again to know who he was talking to. He had talked to the killer on the phone enough to know it by now. "You know dam well that everything is not ok. You put one of my men in here". Horatio's raised voice was starting to attract attention.

"No, I didn't put him in the hospital, you did, remember".

Horatio never got the chance to respond. The killer had ended the call.

Horatio threw his phone on the floor out of frustration. He ignored the curious looks he was getting from some of the people in the cafeteria as he finally took as seat. He placed his hands together, resting his 2 thumbs against his lips as he closed his eyes. He needed to get control of the situation before continuing. He was letting the killer get to him and that was not acceptable.

Once Horatio felt he was in control of his emotions he reached down and retrieved his phone; which had luckily survived the fall. He placed a call to Eric and asked him to trace this latest call. They had tried to trace the other calls the killer had made but had been unsuccessful, he hoped maybe this time they would have something.

As he looked down at his bagel he realized that he just wasn't hungry anymore. He placed his uneaten breakfast in the waste receptacle and headed back up to Ryan's room to wait for Calleigh.

Horatio entered Ryan's room and found that Ryan was awake but looking very uncomfortable. "Ryan, you don't look so good, are you alright?"

"Horatio, what is going on? I just received a get well card and it said that you're the reason I am in here dying". Ryan stopped talking as he looked to Horatio for an answer.

"What card, where it is now"? Horatio grabbed a rubber glove from one of the many boxes in the room and put it on. He knew that this was from their killer and he needed to get it for evidence.

Ryan picked up the card that had fallen to the side of his pillow and handed it to Horatio. "Its right here, but I don't care about the card; I want to talk about what it said. What did it mean when it said that you put me in here and that I'm dying? Is this card from the killer? Am I really dying?" Ryan was starting to shake and felt lousy all of a sudden, but he wanted Horatio to answer his questions.

Horatio could see that Ryan was starting to shake and looked even worse than he did before. "Ryan, I don't want you to get upset right now. I need you to calm down and then we can talk about this".

"No Horatio, I am tired of everyone refusing to tell me what is going on, I have a right to know if I am dying". Ryan suddenly started shaking which was quickly replaced by convulsions. The monitors hooked to his body responded to his new condition by alarming.

Horatio reacted immediately and went out in the hallway shouting for help. All of a sudden he was joined by several nurses, one of whom asked Horatio to step out into the way while they took care of Ryan.

This day just went from bad to worse. Horatio didn't think he could take this anymore. Ryan should not have found out about his situation this way. If he had only stayed in the room and not gone out to get something to eat this wouldn't be happening. He had been planning on telling Ryan everything after breakfast, but the killer spoiled those plans. It seems like no matter what Horatio did, the killer was one step ahead. He needed to find the killer before anything else happened to Ryan. He needed to get back to work and identify this killer and put an end to his game once and for all.

* * *

As Horatio sat outside of Ryan's room, he looked up from and saw Calleigh getting off the elevator. He also noticed that she was not alone. Calleigh looked in his direction and started walking toward him.

"Horatio, why are you sitting out here, is something wrong". She had noticed the look on his face as soon as she got off the elevator. She didn't like the look and assumed that whatever was wrong was not good.

"Ryan received a card from the killer and became very upset after reading it". Horatio chose to leave out the details of the card for now.

"What, oh my god is Ryan alright". She didn't know what the card said but if Horatio was out here without any knowledge of what was going on it couldn't be good.

Horatio looked over at the door to Ryan's room, "I don't know. They sent me out here to wait while they were taking care of him. No one has come yet". He turned back to look at Calleigh. "All we can do is sit and wait until they're done".

Since there was nothing else they could do but wait, Calleigh took this opportunity to talk to Horatio and to tell him who she brought with her today. She was afraid that Horatio might not be in the mood to hear what she had to say, but she was worried about him and knew what she had to say would be for the best. She knew that Horatio was blaming himself for everything that was happening to Ryan and it was starting to eat away at him. She didn't even want to think of how Horatio would take it if anything happened to Ryan.

"Horatio, I'm sure they are doing everything they can for Ryan, but while we were waiting I wanted to talk to you. Now I don't want you to take this the wrong way, but I think it is time that you talked to someone about this case, which is why I brought Megan Stevens with me. She is the department psychologist".

"I'm well aware of what department Ms. Stevens works for". His whole demeanor changed once he realized why Calleigh had brought the department shrink with her. "I know that you are concerned for my well being, but I don't require Ms. Steven's service at this time".

Calleigh had already planned for Horatio's response, "Horatio, this is not up for discussion, I have already talked to Stetler and he agreed that you need this. He is expecting you to talk to Megan about the case and about the toll it has been taking on you".

Horatio didn't have the energy to fight this. But there was one thing he wanted to know so he looked Calleigh straight in the eye and asked, "Am I officially being pulled off the case then?"

Calleigh had been dreading this question but knew he deserved an honest answer "Yes Horatio".

Calleigh didn't know if Horatio would have anything further to say on the subject, but she was grateful for his silence. She sat with him for little while longer but when no one was coming out of the room she decided to talk with one of the nurses about getting a recent sample of Ryan's blood and his lab results. She needed to get them back to the lab for further analysis. She had a brief word with Megan, the department's psychologist and told Horatio she had to get back to the lab, but wanted to be informed the minute he knew about Ryan's condition. She really wished she could stay, but she thought that Megan could use this time to talk with him.

* * *

As Horatio sat there waiting for news he saw that Ms. Stevens had gotten up from her seat and was now heading toward the empty seat next to his.

"Lieutenant Caine, I know we have never officially met but my name is Megan Steven's". She extended her hand out to Horatio as she introduced herself.

"Yes, I know who you are". Horatio had not even bothered to look at Megan completely ignored her hand.

Megan held her hand out for a few seconds longer before awkwardly putting it back down to her side. "Well, I was wondering if we could sit and talk about this while we are waiting."

"I don't think now would be the best time". He just wanted to wait for news of Ryan.

"I understand you have gone through a lot recently, but I don't think prolonging this conversation is the best thing right now". She was warned by Calleigh that Horatio might try and push this off to another day.

Horatio knew he would have to talk to her about this sooner or later, but he really wanted it to be later and just wished she would understand. "I know that I don't have a choice here and that you are only doing your job, but this needs to occur later". He finally looked in her direction.

"I know you are worried about your CSI right now so I will give you some time, but I want you to come to my office later so we can talk, and I am not taking no for an answer". She didn't want to have to take this forceful approach, but she was dealing with Horatio Caine and she knew it was the only way to get him to comply. She also knew that standing around waiting for him to respond was pointless so she turned around and walked toward the elevator. She really hoped he would show up later because she didn't want to have to take his refusal to Stetler.

* * *

Horatio watched Megan walk toward the elevator. He knew he would have to go in and talk to her at some point. It might actually make things better but he was not willing to admit that to anyone. He was just glad she left so that he could focus his attention back on Ryan's room. He didn't have to wait long. A few of the nurses walked out of the room followed by Ryan's doctor. He didn't even see the doctor go in so he had to wonder how long his attention had been diverted when Calleigh was here.

Horatio got up from his seat and went over to the nurse's station where the doctor was writing up something in Ryan's chart. "Doctor, how is Mr. Wolfe?"

The doctor finished what he was doing before responding to Horatio's question. "Lieutenant Caine, Mr. Wolfe gave us quite the scare but we managed to get him stabilized. I won't know for sure until I have done a few more tests, but the best answer I can offer at this point is that the poison has moved into his central nervous system". He didn't like giving out details until he could confirm them, but he knew that the lieutenant would not let up until he received some kind of answer.

Horatio didn't like the doctor's prognosis. "Does this mean that the poison is moving faster than you originally thought?"

"No, I still feel it is a slow moving toxin, but from what I understand Mr. Wolfe was quite upset before he went into convulsions. My theory, and mind you this in only a theory, is that the toxin moves quicker the more Mr. Wolfe is upset. Until we know for sure I want to keep him as calm as possible. He is to have very limited access to everyone and anything associated with his case".

"I understand doctor. May I go in and see him now?" He didn't know if the doctor was going to restrict his time with Ryan or not, but he needed to talk to Ryan before going back to the station to talk to the psychologist.

"I guess I don't see anything wrong with that, but I must warn you, if you upset him I will have to ask you to leave". The doctor didn't think Horatio would do anything to upset Ryan, but he needed to make sure that the lieutenant understood the rules applied to him as well.

"Thank you doctor", Horatio turned and walked toward Ryan's room.

As he entered the room he found Ryan sitting up and looking better than he had before. He could see that Ryan looked very tired and probably needed to rest, but he was glad that he was still alive. "Hello Ryan, I am glad to see you are looking better".

"Thanks Horatio", Ryan was just so tired but he was glad that Horatio was still here. "I'm sorry if I scared you, I promise I won't do it again". He hoped he would not do it again. "I still want to talk to you about everything that is going on, but the doctor told me that I shouldn't get too excited". Ryan rested a second before continuing, "Can you please tell me one thing though; am I really dying?" He was so tired, but he used what strength he had left to keep from crying. He didn't want Horatio to see him cry.

"Not if I can help it". Horatio didn't know what else to say. He now knew that it was even more imperative that they caught this killer and the only way he could see this getting done was by going back to the lab.

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	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15: **

* * *

Horatio had stayed with Ryan until he fell asleep; which luckily didn't take long. Time was something they could no longer take for granted.

After leaving the hospital Horatio would like to have gone home for a quick shower and change of clothing, but he chose instead to head back to the lab. While on route he called Eric and Calleigh and told them to meet him in the lab. He also made a call to Megan Stevens, the department psychologist and asked her to join them. Horatio needed to put this case into overdrive and he was going to need everyone's help.

As Horatio entered the building he couldn't help but notice the glares he was getting from everyone. He had his suspicions of what they might be thinking but he didn't have time to worry about that right now, he needed to get to the lab where Eric and Calleigh were waiting for him.

Once he entered the lab he acknowledged Ms. Stevens presence and turned to talk to Eric and Calleigh, "Before any of you say anything I need to place a sense of urgency on this case. The life of Mr. Wolfe depends on us finding what poison was used and obtaining an antidote".

Calleigh knew it would be difficult for Horatio to accept the fact that he was off the case, but she wondered if he had really understood her when she told him. He was acting like their conversation never took place, but the only thing that didn't make sense was the fact that he had invited the department psychologist to this meeting. "Horatio, we all understand the need to work quickly on this case but it will have to be done without you". She didn't mean to be so blunt, but she knew what the ramification would be and thought that Horatio didn't need this added to his life right now; she was only trying to look out for him.

Horatio had expected this from Calleigh. "That is no longer an option here. I appreciate your concern Calleigh, but you let me worry about it. There is a pressing matter that we must attend to now and it will take all of us to get it done".

Eric had chosen to stay quiet since Horatio's arrival and listen to what he had to say, but now all he wanted to do was get on with the case, "Just tell us what you want us to do H".

"Thank you Eric, I need both you and Calleigh to bring me up to speed on what we have for the case thus far. I want to lay it all out in front of us and try to come up with a true profile of this killer. He has been acting differently in this last case and I think we may be able to use it to our advantage and possibly anticipate his next move. He turned to Eric first, "Eric, please tell me about the phone call".

"I tried tracing the call you received earlier, but didn't have any luck. It was just like the other calls you had received. In looking at all the calls together I was able to find one common thread. The killer has a lot of knowledge about what you're doing and where you are at the time of each call, so it must mean he is close by. And if he is close by he has probably been watching you". Eric watched for any kind of reaction from Horatio before continuing. "With the idea that he is watching your every move, I remembered something that the killer had told you; that he was watching you at all of his previous crime scenes. We may have footage of our killer and don't even know it. I thought that if I reviewed past news footage I could look for someone who may be in the footage multiple times, but shouldn't be". He knew this was a long shot, but he thought it was worth checking it out.

"Well Eric, I think we need to start reviewing those tapes as soon as possible". Horatio liked this angle and hoped it paid off.

Eric was glad Horatio approved, "I called the TV stations earlier and the tapes should be arriving soon. I can go check to see how long it will be before they get here".

"That's a good Idea. Please keep me posted Eric". Horatio then turned to Calleigh. "Calleigh, is there any news on the blood test you ran?"

"Alexx and I have run a few tests on Ryan's blood sample. The fact that we can detect the presence of a toxin in his blood stream means that Ryan's exposure occurred within the last 48 hours". She knew that Horatio was well aware of the fact that most poisons are only detectable in the blood stream for 48 hours after exposure so she didn't feel the need to remind him of this fact, "Since it has been over 4 days since you were rescued it tells us that Ryan may have been exposed sometime after this, but we can't be sure. I have requested some hair samples from Ryan to see if his exposure was limited to the last few days or if it has actually been longer. There is no telling if the toxin is new or something that he is being constantly exposed to". Calleigh paused to let Horatio digest this new information.

Horatio didn't like the idea that Ryan's exposure to the poison may have been recent and something that could have been prevented "Do we have any idea of where the recent exposure may have come from?"

Calleigh was already one step ahead of Horatio and was prepared for this question, "He could have ingested the poison so I have sent someone over to process Ryan's condo. I am having them bring back samples of things recently consumed from his kitchen and any oral products in his bathroom. I was actually waiting for the items to arrive in the lab when you called and requested this meeting. They should be here soon".

"Good work Calleigh, I want to know as soon as possible if you find the source of the poison". For Horatio, this was the first time since starting the investigating on the triangle killer where they might actually find something to go on.

Horatio turned to Ms. Steven's, whom he noticed had stayed quiet during the conversation. "I assume you are wondering why I asked you here".

"Yes, I did wonder what services I may be able to provide you. But the fact still remains that you were removed from the case and are required to meet with me". She was aware of Horatio Caine's reputation when it came to his CSI and his behavior was something she expected. She knew that he could not be easily removed from the case, but she was willing to listen to what he had to tell her.

"I know that you have profiled serial killers before when you were working in California, so I need you to assist me in compiling a more accurate and current profile of this killer". Horatio had heard of past cases she had profiled and knew that she was more than qualified for this.

Megan had thought Horatio would have some excuse for staying on the case, but this was not what she was expecting, "How is this going to help, you have already had this killer profiled".

"We have a profile that is outdated, it does not contain any of the current information we have on the killer. He altered his tactics on this last case which is unusual for a serial killer. To my knowledge this information was never factored into his profile". The fact that this serial killer strayed so far from his usual tactics had been weighing heavy on Horatio for a while.

"It is true that his change in habits for this last case is unusual, but it's not unheard of. I'm surprised no one took this information into consideration when profiling the killer". She could tell where Horatio was going with this and thought it couldn't hurt to help him. Besides, she would be doing the job Stetler asked her to do and that was to talk to Horatio about the case. "I think that I can help you as well as accomplish the task Stetler has requested ". As she looked at Horatio, she could tell he had already considered this.

Horatio was relieved that this went so well, he didn't know much about Ms. Steven's but he had taken the chance that she was willing to help "I'm glad you see it that way. We have a lot of work ahead of us so we should get started".

For the next couple of hours Horatio and Ms. Steven's went over everything they had on the case and ended up with a profile that surprised both of them. Horatio felt it was time to regroup with Calleigh and Eric and get an update of what they had been working on.

As Calleigh and Eric entered the conference room that contained most of the collected evidence on the Triangle Killer, they were surprised to see how much work Horatio and Megan had accomplished.

Horatio looked up from the desk to acknowledge Calleigh and Eric's promptness to his request. He had told them that time was no longer a luxury and was glad to see that they felt the same way.

"Eric, let's start with you, what progress have you made with the video tapes?" Horatio could see that he had some pictures with him.

Eric took the pictures he was carrying and laid them out on the table in front of Horatio, "I reviewed the news footage from the 4 known cases and I did find something, but I don't know how much help it is going to be. These pictures show a camera man that was at each of the crime scenes. In each of the pictures you can tell it is the same guy, but the only problem is that he never removed the camera from his face. At first I didn't think anything of it since we have seen the same news people show up at previous cases. But when I started asking the other stations if they knew who this guy was or what station he worked for, no one did. Then I watched the tapes again to see if I could tell what he was filming. In every video this guy shows up in, his camera is pointed in your direction. H, I think this may be the killer himself and that he had not only been watching you, but he has been recording you as well".

Horatio turned to Calleigh, "What progress have you made?"

"Well, I had the food and bathroom items from Ryan's condo tested and found the same unknown substance in at least 2 items, his toothpaste and his milk. The levels of toxin that Ryan would have gotten was very minimal, therefore any symptoms that Ryan would have experienced would not have been right away. It also may not have been enough to show in his blood samples right away". This evidence was easy to present to Horatio, but it was this next evidence that was not going to be so easy to explain. She had just gotten the results right before Horatio had requested this update and had not had much time to think about it, but all she knew was that it didn't make sense to anything they thought they knew about the killer and his activities. Before she told Horatio the results, she pulled the test results from her folder and handed it to Horatio, "Horatio, I don't know what to tell you about this next bit, but when I had his hair tested to see how long the poison may have been in his system, the results showed that his exposure was at least 2 weeks ago".

"Are you sure on these results Calleigh?"

"I had them run the tests twice to make sure, but yes they are accurate".

As this information sunk in, a very confused look came over Horatio's face, "If this information is true, then that would mean that Ryan was poisoned before any of us were abducted".

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	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16: **

* * *

Horatio was not sure he had heard Calleigh correctly so he asked for clarification on the last part. "Calleigh, did you say 2 weeks".

"Yes, I didn't believe it myself so I had someone else run the test and they also came up with 2 weeks". Calleigh knew this news was unexpected. She didn't know what to make of it and was clear that Horatio didn't either.

This was the last thing Horatio had expected to hear. The killer had gotten to Ryan even before the game had started, but why? Before this news he was feeling like they may finally be getting somewhere on this case, but now, he didn't know what to think. He was at a loss for words and didn't feel like he had the strength to go on. He failed Ryan and now he was going to die. No matter what they did it was all for nothing. No matter how hard he thought about the case, he could not come up with an answer as to why he was chosen to play this game. What had he done, or for that matter what had his CSI done to be chosen for this game and why was the killer playing such a twisted version with them. As he sat there thinking he became aware of the silence and remembered that he was not alone. He looked up and saw the concerned faces of Calleigh, Eric and Ms. Steven's staring back at him. It was then that he realized he had no idea of how long he had been sitting there or how long they had been waiting for him to say something. But what was he going to say, he didn't have any answers.

When Calleigh saw Horatio sit down after hearing the news she thought he just needed a few minutes to let it sink in, but as more time went by without him saying a word or even looking up at them she wasn't so sure. No one wanted to be the first one to talk so they just waited for him to snap out of it. But now that he looked up Calleigh thought this was her chance and decided to say something first, "Horatio, are you all right? I didn't mean to upset you with this news".

Horatio was looking right at her as she asked him the question, but he hadn't been listening. "Did you say something Calleigh?"

Calleigh knew it was time to take charge before she lost Horatio, "OK Horatio, I think you should let the rest of us take care of this case while you go and rest. The case is just becoming too much for you; you haven't been sleeping very well, and when is the last time you ate anything".

Horatio's ears perked up at the mention of the word 'rest', "There will be plenty of time to rest after we have caught this killer. As I have told you before I appreciate your concern Calleigh, but I need to finish this".

Megan Steven's had been waiting for the right time to join the conversation and decided it was now, "I don't really think we can do it without him at this point. The killer has connected with Horatio in such a way that has allowed us to understand what type of person he is. If Horatio were to back out now, we may never find this guy in time to save Mr. Wolfe's life".

Calleigh didn't like the way that Megan had intruded into her conversation with Horatio. Who did she think she was? She had only recently joined this case, so what could she possibly have to offer. Besides, she was asked to talk with Horatio and help him with the stress he was feeling; she was not here to help him solve the case. "No, I am taking charge of this case now and I don't want Horatio to do anything but get some rest".

Horatio chose to remain silent and let the conversation between the 2 women unfold.

Megan didn't really mean to cause all this tension that was now filling the room, but she had to explain herself. "I understand the need for the lieutenant to rest, but I think that if the killer saw that Horatio was off the case it might upset him and there is no telling what he may do".

"I don't care if we upset the killer, what about the pain he has caused Horatio, Eric and Ryan" Calleigh was becoming very agitated right now and was trying hard to hide her anger.

Eric couldn't stand to see Calleigh getting upset. "Calleigh calm down. I am sure that Megan didn't mean it this way. Let's give her a chance to explain what she means".

Calleigh was getting upset for no real reason and knew that Eric was right, so she let Megan continue.

"Thank you". Megan was a little nervous to continue but knew she needed to choose her words carefully, "After evaluating the information from the past cases and comparing them to this case we have come up with some irregularities that don't fit with our serial killers known pattern. When a serial killer chooses to change his usual habits the most likely scenario is that something unexpected happened and the only way the killer can deal with it is to change his plans. The killer's initial motives for committing the crime in most cases are due to some personal trauma that occurred at some point in their life. The victims are people that may have similarities to people from their past, but sometimes they find someone that strongly resembles the person that influenced the way they are; the person they blame for every bad thing in their life. I feel that somewhere in the course of the killer's observation of Lieutenant Caine, he saw that person. The serial killer feels he now has a more personal connection with Horatio and has wanted to make sure he suffered more than his other victims have. It all adds up if you look at the events of this case. He let everyone escape from the warehouse only to have Horatio realize later on that a choice had in fact been made. The person that Horatio thought he had chosen was given a slow acting poison so that Horatio would have to live with the guilt longer. Then there was the idea that the actual poisoning occurred after the rescue from the warehouse, so this would make Horatio feel guilty because he may have been able to prevent the whole thing. But this new information is something that I am still trying to figure out. I'm not sure what the killer was trying to tell Horatio when he poisoned Ryan before the game even started. All I can hope is that the killer had his reasons and will reveal them to Horatio soon, before it is too late.

Calleigh had been patiently listening to everything Megan was saying but it still had not changed her mind about removing Horatio from the case, "I think that Horatio has suffered enough and I don't think he can take anymore. Based on what you just told us, I don't think there is any good reason to keep Horatio in the game".

Megan wasn't sure she could think of anything more to say to Calleigh to convince her. All she could think to say was "Horatio should be the one to decide if he has had enough". If the look on Calleigh's face was any indication, she had chosen the wrong thing to say.

Calleigh didn't know what to think about this statement except that it really pissed her off. She was about to protest when she saw Horatio stand up and say "I'll be staying on the case".

* * *

Horatio didn't really know if he was up for this anymore, but he didn't really have a choice. He needed to stay and see how the rest of the game played out. He suspected that there was more to come and he needed to get ready. He didn't know how Calleigh was going to react but he was grateful that she finally agreed to let him stay on the case provided he get some sleep here at the station right after he had a bite to eat. Calleigh had even offered to go and get a change of clothing for Horatio, but he told her he always kept a spare set in his office just in case. Well this was one of those 'Just in Case' moments.

* * *

Horatio woke up feeling a little bit better than he had before. He figured he had only slept for about 3 hours, but it was better than nothing. Now it was time to get back to work and see what progress was made in his absence. He also needed to go to the hospital and check on Ryan.

Before he took his nap he had called and talked to Ryan's nurse. She had said that Ryan was resting and that there were no further complications to his health. They had been keeping everyone and everything that was not related to his well being out of his room as ordered and said it seems to be helping. Knowing that Ryan was still ok helped Horatio fall asleep, but he still wanted to see him now that he was more alert. He didn't know if his need to see Ryan was because he was worried or because of the guilt he had been feeling ever since Ryan fell ill. While he had been working with Ms. Steven's she had brought up the subject and had insisted that he talk about it. She also had talked to him briefly before his nap because she wanted to know how he was feeling now that he knew Ryan's poison had occurred sometime before his abduction. He had told her what she had probably wanted to hear; which was that he didn't feel as much guilt as he had before. This seemed to satisfy her and she left. But he hadn't really told her the truth. The truth was that he felt even guiltier because he couldn't think of any reason why the killer had picked Ryan. He just hoped he realized what it was before it was too late and that they saved Ryan's life.

As he walked out of his office the phone rang. He hesitated to answer it because it seemed like whenever he was thinking hard about the case this is when the killer decided to call. But this was part of the plan he had worked out with Ms. Steven's. He was supposed to get the killer to talk more and open up more next time he called. He pulled the phone out of his pocket and saw that it was Ms. Steven's calling.

"Ms. Steven's, what can I do for you". He waited a few moments before he heard a response.

"Good afternoon Lieutenant Caine, after I left you this morning I have been thinking about the case and I have something to show you. I was wondering if you could meet me in 30 minutes".

"Why can't we talk about it here at the station?" He didn't really want to be out in the field today because they had a lot of work to do.

"No, I can't bring this to the station. It shouldn't take too long".

Horatio thought he was hearing a bit of desperation in her voice so he said, "Yes, I will come and meet you. Please give me the address". Horatio wrote down the address and said goodbye to Ms. Steven's. He then continued on his way to find Calleigh and Eric.

Calleigh was in the evidence room with Eric when Horatio walked in. She was glad to see that he looked more rested, "Hi Horatio, It looks like the sleep did some good".

Horatio walked over to where they were both standing. "Yes it did Calleigh, thank you. Have you come up with anything new?"

Eric spoke up next, "No H, we have poured over everything at least 3 times since you went to lie down. There is nothing new. I think that all we can do is move forward with the plan you and Megan worked out and wait for the killer to contact you again". He wished he had more information for Horatio but he didn't, but one thing he was sure of, was that he would be ready to trace the killer once he called.

"Thank you, please keep working and keep me posted. I need to go and meet Ms. Stevens and then I planned on heading to the hospital to see Ryan".

"Do you want me to go with you?" Eric didn't know if they should let Horatio out of their sight.

"No, I need you to be here to trace the call in case the killer contacts me, besides I won't be alone". He motioned to the officer standing outside. He still had to take someone with him whenever he left the station. "I won't be long".

* * *

It didn't take long for Horatio to drive to the address Ms. Steven's had provided him with. He saw her car parked in front of a building that appeared to be rundown and abandoned. He did not like the looks of the place. As a precaution both he and the officer who had accompanied him pulled their guns out. They went inside the building and were surprised to see how bare it was inside. Horatio looked around and called out to Ms. Steven's. When he didn't receive an answer he decided to check the place out. There didn't appear to be anything at this location worth looking at and he wondered where Ms. Steven's was.

He sent the officer in one direction while he went to the other way. As he was walking he decided to give her a call thinking that perhaps she was somewhere in the building where she could not hear their arrival. As he pulled out his cell phone it rang. This made him jump a little bit causing him to almost drop the phone. When he was able to get a hold of himself he looked at the screen on his phone and saw that it was Calleigh.

Horatio answered the phone, "Yes Calleigh" This was all he got out before he heard a rather frantic sounding Calleigh on the other end.

"Horatio, did you make it to the hospital to see Ryan yet?" She didn't want to get into the real reason for her call in case Horatio had an explanation for it.

"No, I was going there next after my meeting with Ms. Steven's".

Calleigh's voice sounded frightened now, "Ryan's missing. I was so hoping that you had gone to see him and maybe had taken him for a walk". She knew this sounded absurd, but she was really hoping it was true.

"What, he's missing, how did this happen". Horatio had several more questions to ask but he was cut off by Calleigh.

"No one is sure how it happened. The officers watching over him helped Ryan evacuate his room in response to a fire that had started on the floor directly below his. When the fire department said it was all clear, all the patients were escorted back to their rooms, but there was no sign of Ryan. They eventually found his two body guards unconscious".

"How long ago did this happen?"

"It was over an hour ago. They didn't call us until they had confirmed Ryan's disappearance. They thought that the officers were with Ryan and would have eventually brought him back to the room, but when they found the unconscious men they called us". Calleigh was trying hard to not break down over the phone. Horatio didn't need to hear this.

"I'm on my way to the hospital Calleigh". He ended the call and remembered that he was just about to call Ms. Steven's to find out where she was in the building. He found her number in his phone's address book and connected to her cell phone. As he heard it ringing he thought it was odd that he heard another phone go off somewhere close to him at the same time. As he was listening to the phone he heard it go to her voice mail. He realized that at the same moment her phone went to voice mail, the phone he heard in the distance stopped ringing. He decided to go investigate. He knew that he needed to get to the hospital as soon as he could but he also couldn't leave Ms. Steven's in case she had something really good to show him.

In order to find out if the ringing phone he heard was in fact Ms. Steven's he decided to call her again. As he followed the sound, he entered a room and found the source. He was shocked by what he saw. In front of him was Ms. Steven's lying face down on the ground; the cell phone still in her hand. He went over to her and moved her onto her back. He could tell instantly that she was dead. As he stood up to make a call to Calleigh he felt something hit his head. He felt himself falling toward the body of Ms. Steven's and then everything went dark.

xxxxx


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17: **

* * *

Calleigh arrived at the hospital expecting to see Horatio waiting for her, but he was nowhere to be seen. Instead she found detective Frank Tripp leading the investigation into the disappearance of Ryan.

"Frank, have you seen Horatio yet?"

"Hey Calleigh, no I haven't seen him. He didn't come with you?" Frank thought it was weird that they hadn't come together.

"No, he was supposed to be meeting with someone but said he would come right away". Calleigh figured that he was probably just on his way and expected him to join them any minute. "What about Ryan, do you have any leads yet?"

Frank had written down the details of his investigation and was looking at his notes "Well, we know that there was a fire on the floor below Ryan's room causing the fire alarm and the eventual evacuation of the hospital. The 2 officers assigned to watch over Ryan helped get him out but in the rush to get everyone out no one actually saw where they went. When the fire department declared it was ok to come back in all the patients except for Ryan came back. The nurses on the floor thought that maybe as a precaution they were taking their time bringing him back so they didn't do anything right away. But after 30 minutes they started to worry and sent some of the staff to go and look for them. It took another 30 minutes for them to find anything. They found the 2 officers unconscious in one of the electrical rooms down by the parking garage, but there was no sign of Ryan".

Calleigh already knew most of this so she decided to interrupt Frank by asking a question "Have the officers been asked what happened yet?"

"They both suffered a head trauma and one of them hasn't really come around yet, but the other one said that once they got Ryan outside they were approached by a man and a woman. The woman said they were from the department and that they suspected someone was going to try and grab Ryan during the fire alarm. They suggested that they go into one of the side rooms off the garage for safety until the all clear was sounded. The officer remembers entering the room, but that's all".

Calleigh looked hopefully at Frank, "Was he able to give a description of the man and woman?"

"He said the woman looked familiar but he didn't know who she was. She was about 5'5 and had long brown hair and green eyes. She had on a brown and red pantsuit on. As for the man he was about 6 feet tall and had short dark brown hair, but he was wearing dark sunglasses and kept looking away from the officer when the woman was talking so he didn't really get the best look at him. He said the man was dressed in dirty wrinkled clothes, which he thought was odd for someone from the department. He thought the 2 looked like an odd couple".

As Calleigh listened to Frank describe the woman, the description sounded so familiar that she was able to picture what she may have looked like. When Frank was done with both descriptions she asked another question. "Did they provide any identification?"

"They were in such a rush to get moving that the officer forgot to ask". This was a big violation in protocol and Frank knew the officers would have to face the consequences when they felt better. He was glad he was not in their shoes.

This information left Calleigh with a very unsettling feeling. The feeling brought her back to the day she found out that Horatio and Eric were missing and she remembered how worried she was. But she also remembered how guilty she felt when she hadn't even realized that Ryan was missing and therefore never even worried about him. She thought it was ironic that she was now standing here worried about Ryan being the one missing? This made her think about Horatio and she had to wonder why he was not here yet. She decided it was time to call him and find out.

"Frank, I'm going to give Horatio another call, but in the meantime could you send someone over to process the room where the guards were found, and can you see if our unknown kidnappers were caught on any of the hospital surveillance cameras". Calleigh then walked closer to the window in the room and called Horatio. She was not very happy when her call was forwarded to his voice mail. "Where are you Horatio?"

* * *

Horatio opened his eyes and was instantly aware of how dark it was. He was still a little groggy from the hit on the head and thought for a second he was blind. But after a few more blinks of his eyes he realized that he was just in a very dark room void of any light. He was also aware that his one wrist was chained to something. As he felt his way to the other end of the chain he realized it was set into the wall. He tried pulling at it, but soon realized it wouldn't budge. He decided to feel out the rest of the room with his fingers pressed against the wall. As he was moving around one side he realized it was a big room and was grateful that the chain allowed him to move. When he could not move anymore he felt his way back to the other end of the chain and started to feel the other side of the wall.

As he was moving on the other side of the room he nearly tripped over something on the floor. He felt his way to the floor to find out what he tripped over and realized he was not alone. He could feel it was a person and that they were alive, but he could not tell who it was since it was so dark. He could tell that the person was lying on their side so he decided to sit them up against the wall. As he moved the person they groined out in pain. Horatio recognized the groan instantly and said "Ryan, is that you?"

"Horatio, I don't feel so good. I think I fell out of bed" Ryan paused to catch his breath "could you help me back up, this floor is so cold".

Horatio didn't like the fact that Ryan was shivering and wasn't even aware of where he was. "Ryan, do you know where you are?" He held his arms around Ryan in an attempt to keep him warm.

"Horatio, I don't feel so good".

Horatio was not sure how coherent Ryan was since he had not answered his questions and restated what he had just said a few seconds ago. "Ryan, I don't know if you can understand this right now, but we appear to be tied up in this dark room. I'm not sure who took us, but I have a guess". As Horatio felt his way around Ryan to make sure he was ok, he realized that Ryan was not chained to the wall like he was. Who ever had them obviously didn't see Ryan as much of a threat, which only made him worry that much more for Ryan's safety.

Horatio knew if they stood any kind of chance on getting out of this room, he would need to continue to feel his way around the room to see if there was a door or something that would help him pry the chain off the wall. "Ok Ryan, I need to scope out the rest of the room so I am going to let go of you while I do that". As he started to remove his arm Ryan suddenly scream out.

"Noooo, don't let go of me, I don't want to be alone".

Horatio didn't want to stress Ryan out anymore so he decided to sit with him a little longer and hope that he would calm down enough for him to be able to explore the rest of the room. As he sat there he also wondered if Calleigh had realized that he hadn't shown up at the hospital yet and was out looking for him and Ryan.

* * *

After Calleigh's third attempt to contact Horatio she decided to call Eric to see if he could get a GPS location on his hummer. She knew that he had taken one when he left for his meeting.

While she waited for Eric to get back to her she found Frank talking to one of the hospital administers. "Hey Frank, I'm having Eric run the GPS on Horatio's hummer so we can find out where he is. Do you have any more information on the case?"

Frank looked away from the person he had been talking and looked at Calleigh, "Hey Calleigh, I was able to get the surveillance footage from the hospital and they do have 2 people on the footage that fit the description of the 2 people the officer saw. Do you want to take a look?"

"Yes, where can we watch it?" Calleigh was extremely hopeful at this moment.

Frank motioned Calleigh to walk with him to the waiting room, "I talked to one of the administrators and he said he could set up the footage on the monitor in the waiting room".

As Frank and Calleigh entered the waiting room they saw that the monitor was set up and ready to go. Calleigh and Frank each took a seat in front of it. Frank reached over and turned it on. "Ok, they said that we are going to see several people being evacuated from the building, and then we will see 2 people who seem to come out of nowhere and enter the building".

As Frank and Calleigh watched the footage, Calleigh could not believe what she just saw. She saw the 2 people enter the building just as Frank told her she would, but she could not believe it. She wasn't so shocked by what she saw; it was by who she saw. "Oh my god Frank, I know that woman, it's the department psychologist".

As Calleigh was still trying to get over this latest twist she jumped as her phone started to ring. She quickly pulled it out and was hoping it was Horatio calling. Instead she saw it was Eric "Eric, tell me you know where Horatio is?"

Eric could hear the urgency in her voice and was glad he had some news for her "I tracked his hummer to a building about 20 minutes from where you are. I'm headed there now and I'll let you know what I find". He didn't wait to see if Calleigh wanted to go along. He was also feeling a sense of urgency to find Horatio. Things were just not feeling right and it was giving Eric a feeling of déjà vu only this time he wasn't amongst the missing.

xxxxx


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18: **

* * *

Horatio sat with Ryan until he thought he had fallen asleep. He gently removed his arm from around Ryan's shoulders and stood back up. He needed to feel his way around the rest of the room to see if there was a way out. He was disappointed when his search didn't reveal anything that would help them. He made his way back to where Ryan was sitting and was relieved to see Ryan was still sitting up. "Ryan, are you awake?"

"H, where are we? Why is so dark in here?" Ryan definitely felt more alert than he did before. He still didn't feel very good, but at least he was more aware of his surroundings and knew he was not in the hospital.

Horatio was glad to hear Ryan ask these questions, because it meant he was able to comprehend what was going on, which would make it easier for them to find a way out. He knew that Ryan was not chained up, but he didn't know if he was in any shape to do anything, "Ryan, I'm not sure where we are or who has us, but I need you to help me, are you well enough to get up?"

Ryan was using all the strength he had to just sit up so he had to be truthful to Horatio "I don't think so, but I can try if you really need me to".

"No, I don't want you to get overexcited. I need you to keep your strength for later". He didn't really know what he would have had Ryan do even if he had been able to get up, but he wanted to know how much help he could expect from him if they were given the opportunity to escape.

As they sat there in the dark, Horatio tried very hard to come up with a plan. This time was very different from the last time he was held captive. He could think of at least 3 things that were not the same; he was bound by a single chain hooked to his wrist, Ryan was not bound at all and it was only Ryan and himself that were here. While he worried about the safety of Ryan, he was glad that he only had to worry about one of his CSI. He was glad that Eric was not here, but he had to wonder if Eric was out looking for them yet.

* * *

When Eric arrived at the location where the GPS had indicated Horatio's hummer was, he was surprised to see it was a rundown abandoned warehouse. He didn't know who Horatio had been meeting out here, but he hoped he would find him somewhere inside.

He started walking toward the door that appeared to be the main entrance. He noted that Horatio's car was the only one around so whoever he was supposed to meet was either no longer here or had not yet arrived.

As Eric entered the building he saw that it was very large and bare inside. He also saw that there were several pathways leading in different directions. He decided to try and call Horatio to see if he was in the building somewhere. He didn't want to start down one of the hallways and find out it led nowhere. Getting lost in this place was the last thing he needed.

As he heard Horatio's line ringing on his phone, he also heard a ringing somewhere in one the other areas of the building. Once the call went to Horatio's voice mail the other phone he had heard had stopped ringing. He decided to walk in the direction he had thought the ringing had come from. It could be that Horatio couldn't make it to his phone so he decided he needed to be careful. He took out his gun and held it to his side. He carefully entered the room he had heard the ringing coming from and was surprised by the sight in front of him. There were 2 people laying face down on the ground; he could tell one was a man and the other one was a woman.

Instinct took over and Eric raised his gun. He looked around the room and when he didn't see anyone else, he went over to the 2 bodies. He could tell by the smell that they both must be dead and had been for awhile, but he had to find out for sure. Neither person had a pulse.

He needed to find out who they were so he carefully turned each one of them over. When he turned the man over he instantly recognized him as the officer who had been assigned to accompany Horatio. He then went over to the woman and started to turn her over, but he could tell by the smell and the fact that rigor mortis has set in already that she had been dead a little longer than the man. Once he turned her over he was shocked to find out it was Ms. Steven's. He was full of questions as to why she would be here, but he had to keep on task and find out what happened to Horatio.

As Eric looked around the room for any evidence of Horatio he came across his cell phone, which explained why he heard ringing when he had tried to call. As he bent down to retrieve it he heard voices coming from outside the room.

"Eric, are you here?" Calleigh needed to see Eric's face right now because she was so afraid that she would find him missing as well.

Eric heard her call his name and came out of the room and walked back to the entrance of the building. He found Calleigh and Frank waiting by the door. "Hey Calleigh, I was in one of the rooms when you called".

Calleigh was so relieved to see Eric. She was pretty sure he could tell by the way she was looking at him, "Eric, is there any sign of Horatio, I saw his hummer outside".

"There's no sign of him, but I did find something else". He motioned both Calleigh and Frank to follow him into the room he had just come from.

As Calleigh entered the room after Eric, she saw the two bodies on the floor. She recognized Ms. Steven's right away. "Oh my god Eric, what happened here? Is there any sign of Horatio?" She suddenly became very frightened.

"No, sorry Calleigh, he is nowhere to be found. I did find his cell phone so I do know he was here". He handed the phone over to Calleigh.

Calleigh was careful to handle the phone since it may contain trace evidence. "Do you have any idea of what happened here?" She didn't think he had been here long enough to come up with an idea, but she needed to ask.

"No, I've only been here a short time. Did you know why Horatio was here with Megan; did it have anything to do with the case?"

"I didn't know who he was meeting, but then again I never thought to ask. We were all so busy this morning". She looked at Eric for answers she knew he would not have. "None of this makes any sense. This wasn't the only place that Megan was at today. She was at the hospital this morning and we think she had something to do with Ryan's disappearance. She was seen on the hospital surveillance camera and she fits the description the officer gave. The other person who was with her is not here, so I wonder if he used Megan to get to both Ryan and Horatio and then killed her when he didn't need her anymore. It is the only reason that I can think of right now".

That still left the question of who had taken Ryan and Horatio. Since Megan seemed to be a common denominator in this case it only stood to reason that whoever took Ryan also has Horatio. But he wondered if Calleigh was thinking of the same person he was. "I think there is only one person who is responsible for this".

Calleigh looked at Eric and knew who he was thinking about, "Yes, I was thinking of the same thing. She didn't like the idea that this was starting all over again. She just hoped they would find Horatio and Ryan in time.

* * *

The triangle killer was listening to the whole conversation between Eric and Calleigh and wondered if they knew how right they were. He also wondered if they knew how close they really were to Horatio and Ryan.

He went back to the stair case that was hidden away from everyone. As he descended the stairs he entered the bunker that was below the building. He thought this place was the perfect place to continue his game. The building had been built on top of an old secret bunker that had been built to hide things the mob didn't want the world to know about. When the building fell into ruin everyone abandoned the building and the bunker sat empty and forgotten until he came across it while looking for new property to renovate. He had planned on renovating this building and a few others, but his plans were forever changed when his father died a little over 3 years ago. The death of his father opened up old wounds that he had long ago forgotten about.

He slowly went insane the first year after his father's death as he was consumed with nightmares of his childhood. The second year he had convinced himself that his father must still be alive; which made him think of nothing but getting revenge on his father. By the third year all the nightmares, torment and thoughts of revenge had been replaced by something new. The only way he had been able to get rid of these feeling was to become his father, only the suffering he eventually caused other people was worst than anything his father had ever done to him. Now that he was entering his fourth year he just really wanted it to stop. He was growing tired of this life he was living and he finally found a way to end his torment. If everything went according to plans, Horatio Caine and Ryan Wolfe would be the last participants in his game.

* * *

As Horatio sat in silence next to Ryan he heard something. He would have looked in the direction of the sound but he was not sure of where it was coming from. It sounded like someone was unlocking a door. "Ryan, are you still awake? I think we are about to get a visitor". He could tell that Ryan was awake because he could feel him moving, but wondered why he didn't say anything. He was about to ask Ryan if he was ok when he saw the light appear some distance in front of them. He shielded his eye's for a second until he realized that someone had indeed unlocked a door, because he could now see the silhouette of someone standing in the door way. He couldn't tell who it was but thought it must not be a rescue since the person didn't announce his arrival.

The figure that was in the door way suddenly closed it behind him and Horatio and Ryan were once again sitting in darkness. Horatio didn't know where the person was but he could hear someone shuffling their feet. He didn't have to wait long to find out who it was.

Their visitor cleared his throat and finally made his presence known, "Well, it's too dark in here, I can't see a thing. Now where did that light switch go?"

As soon as Horatio heard the voice he knew exactly who had them. Both he and Ryan were back in the hands of their previous captor. He had assumed this was who had them, but he hadn't been 100% sure, until now. As soon as the killer stopped talking he was temporarily blinded by the light now filling the room. He had to shield his eyes from the light.

Once his eyes were adjusted he opened them up and was now face to face with the 'Triangle Killer'.

The killer saw that Horatio was finally looking at him "So, are you surprised to see me, oh wait, you never really saw me before. I thought it was only fair to play this round without the mask".

xxxxx


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19: **

* * *

It had taken a few seconds for Ryan's eyes to get used to the sudden light, but when they did he looked around the room to see where he was. As he surveyed the room he stopped at the man who was standing before them. Ryan knew who he was and couldn't believe this was happening again. He then turned to look at Horatio and saw that one of his arms was chained to the wall. He checked his own situation and realized he was not being restrained. Whenever he moved though, he was reminded of how awful he felt and he figured this was why he wasn't chained up, the killer didn't see him as a threat.

Ryan was brought back to the present situation when heard their captor speaking. He studied the man as he talked. He was surprised at how young the man looked. This was not the same guy he had pictured in his dreams, but none of that really mattered now. This was real and he was not going to be waking up to find out it wasn't. He wondered how they were going to get out here and was hoping Horatio had some kind of plan.

xxxxx

The fact that the killer was not wearing a mask was the first thing Horatio noticed once his eyes were adjusted to the light. This was something he had not been expecting from him. He stared at the killer and knew he was expected to respond to the killer's announcement. "What are you planning on doing with us?"

The killer smiled at this question, "You know Horatio that is one of the things I like about you. You don't waste time and just cut right to the chase".

"I don't care what you like. I just want you to tell us why you're doing this". Horatio wanted to keep him talking but he wanted to get some answers as well.

The killer walked closer to Horatio, but made sure to keep his distance. "Well if that is what you want them I am going to tell you. I needed both you and Mr. Wolfe to play one last game with me".

"You've already played the game with us once, why do it again. We already know who lost the last time". Horatio looked over at Ryan to see how he was doing. He could tell that Ryan seemed much more alert and it didn't seem like it was too hard for him to be sitting up. That was something good at least.

The killer looked over at Ryan at the mention of the last game "oh, yes, Mr. Wolfe. How are you feeling, I'm so sorry I didn't ask before".

Horatio decided to speak up before Ryan had a chance. "You know damn well how he's doing. You poisoned him".

This didn't make the killer to happy "I don't want you to speak for him; I want to hear it from Mr. Wolfe".

Horatio looked over at Ryan, "Ryan, I don't want you to answer him, let me handle this".

"Did I just hear you call Mr. Wolfe by his first name?" The killer had known for awhile that Horatio no longer referred to him as Mr. Wolfe, but he didn't want Horatio to know this. "So tell me, did you start calling him Ryan because you felt guilty about the way you treated him, or was it for some other reason". The killer paused before continuing, "I don't know if you figured this out yet, but the reason Ryan was selected was because I could tell right from the start you considered him expendable. I thought he would be the perfect one to make you suffer. Now if I had poisoned someone you liked then your suffering would not have tasted so sweet. I wanted to make sure you suffered and felt guilty all at the same time".

The part about Ryan being expendable angered Horatio "You don't know anything about me or how I feel about my CSI".

"Oh but I do. I know your type better than you think". The killer looked at Ryan "And I know Ryan's type as well. That was why this game was so different from all the other ones and this is why I have chosen you to play again".

"What good is another game if we already know how it's going to end?" Horatio didn't like to bring up the idea of Ryan dying but if the killer was willing to speak the truth than he needed to as well.

The killer once again had a smile on his face as he heard Horatio say this. He liked it when Horatio didn't know all the answers "Well; now that is a very legitimate question to ask, and I do want to give you an answer, but not yet".

* * *

While Calleigh and Eric waited for Alexx to remove the bodies they started their investigation in the parking lot. The clues indicated that besides Horatio's hummer there had been one other vehicle recently parked there. They could see that 2 people had come from the hummer and walked toward the building and that 3 people had come from the other vehicle. They concluded that the footprints from the hummer belonged to Horatio and the officer and the footprints coming from the other car came from Megan, the killer and Ryan. Calleigh also noticed that it looked like they had to assist Ryan into the building based on the close proximity of the footprints; the 3 sets were side by side and the middle set looked like it was partially dragged in spots. But things did not add up when they looked at the footprints coming out of the building. They could tell that no one had gone back in the direction of the hummer, but there was only one set of footprints leading back to the other car. Five people went into the building, one person exited the building and 2 were found inside the building.

The question that remained on both Calleigh and Eric's mind was what happened to Horatio and Ryan. After a thorough search of the crime scene, the rest of the building and the surrounding area outside the building there was no further evidence of either of the men. Eric had thought that maybe the killer had to carry out both Horatio and Ryan, but the footprints left by the one person did not indicate they were carrying anyone since the shoe marks were not any deeper than the ones that entered the building.

It was Calleigh that decided to get a hold of the blue prints from the building to see if there was more to this building than they could see. To save time she had already place a call to Natalia and had asked her to bring what she could to the site.

* * *

Calleigh saw Natalia pull up in one of the department hummers and went over to her as she was getting out, "Hey Natalia, what were you able to dig up on this place?"

Natalia was pulling a box of items out of the back seat when she heard Calleigh "Oh, hey Calleigh, I was able to find the blue prints rather quickly. It helped that someone had bought this building recently and had started working on renovation plans". Natalia walked with Calleigh back to the front entrance of the building. Once inside she could see that they had set up a small area for their review of the plans.

"You can put the box down over here. Do we know who owns the building now?"

Natalia placed the box down and turned to answer Calleigh's question "The building was bought about 3 years ago by David Maiylory. I tried to get a hold of him but all I got was his voice mail. I left a message and asked him what he knew about the building so I think for now we are on our own with these plans".

Calleigh took the offered blue prints from Natalia "Well, let's see what we have here?" Calleigh laid the prints out of the table Eric had brought in from the hummer. Calleigh looked at the prints in silence and was assuming that Eric was doing the same since he was not saying anything.

After a small amount of time had passed, it was Eric who spoke up first "I'm not seeing any room on here that we haven't already looked in". He looked over at Natalia "Are you sure you got everything on the building?"

"This was everything I was given. If there was anything else, the building commissioner's office didn't have it". Natalia grabbed her phone and opened it to make a call "I'll try calling the owner again". She placed the call and listened to it ring.

* * *

David could feel the phone in his pocket vibrate again, but like the other call he gotten an hour ago he chose to ignore it. He had more important things to take care of.

David moved the one and only chair in the room closer to Horatio and Ryan and sat down. He carefully studied both men for a few seconds before saying "Now I think I am ready to answer your question".

"I have brought the both of you here to play one last game with me. I know you are probably wondering where the 3rd player is, but you don't have to wonder any longer. I will be the third player". David waited for someone to respond. When no one did so he continued "I am going to give you a new choice Horatio Caine. Will you choose Ryan Wolfe or will you choose me". The look on Horatio's face told David all he needed to know; that he didn't understand. "If you choose Ryan I will give you the antidote that will save his life, but if you choose me you will be saving countless lives that have yet to play my game".

Horatio didn't know what to make of this "What kind of choice is that. If I choose Ryan's life what assurance do I have that you will let us go?"

"What, are you choosing already?" This was the last thing David thought he would be hearing. He tried hard not to let the disappointment show on his face." I don't know if you have thought this through or not. If Ryan is chosen, will you be able to live with yourself knowing that you could have prevented the deaths of countless innocent people. Their blood will be on your hands. But if you choose me I will give myself up and you can do what you want with me. The only price you will have to pay for this is watching Ryan die before your very eyes".

Horatio didn't want to bargain with this guy "You have not answered my question, what assurance do I have that you will let us go?"

The killer stood up and started walking back and forth after hearing Horatio's last statement "No no no, this will not do. I'm giving you the chance to finally catch the 'Triangle Killer' once and for all and the only thing you have to do is give up Ryan". David lowered his voice and looked at Ryan "What is Ryan to you anyway. He is nothing but a liability to your team and you know that to be true. Your team would be better off without him".

Horatio never took his eyes off the killer "Don't tell me what would be better for me. If you want me to choose then I choose Ryan". There was a look of pure hatred in Horatio's eyes.

It was the look in Horatio's eyes that caused something to snap inside David. "Why did I think you would be any different from him? I should have known you wouldn't play this game the way I wanted it to be played".

"What are you talking about; I made my choice, what more do you want?" Horatio could tell the killer was becoming unstable. He had to watch what he was doing, or they would both end up dead.

"You", the killer paused before saying "You're just like my father of course. I thought that you had changed and that you were finally going to choose me, your son, for once". The killer started walking around the room in a completely random fashion. David stopped again and faced Horatio, "What have I ever done to you to make you hate me so much. I did everything you ever asked of me and yet you always made it a choice of who to love. Was I really that much different from Billy that you always made it a game to see who she would choose". David was no longer looking at Horatio and Ryan; instead all he could see staring back up at him was the faces of his father and his brother Billy.

The killer was just not acting right and Horatio could tell that things were only going to get worse from here. The killer was acting irrational and there was no telling what he was capable of doing. He needed time to think this through. If the killer thought he was his father then this might be something he could use to his advantage; something to give him a chance to get the upper hand of the game. If he became his father he might learn something that could help them escape.

"Can we please talk about this? If we talk about it I might be able to show you that I can change". Horatio didn't know if the killer would buy this or not, but there was really no other alternative.

"It's too late to change father. Billy is the chosen one, just like you always intended. But if you think I am going to let him out of here alive you are sadly mistaken". The killer was now facing Ryan "I'm sorry Billy, but this time you are going to get what you deserve".

Up until this point Ryan had stayed silent and let Horatio do all of the talking, but with his own life draining away he had nothing to lose. "Why are you doing this? I am not your brother and he is not your father. Whatever your father and brother did to you has nothing to do with us. I think that you should let Horatio go. My life if already over so you can do what you like with me".

"You stay out of this Billy, you had your chance to say something to father and stand up for your little brother, but no, you just accepted what happened and never looked back. I didn't need you then and I don't need you now". With that the killer pulled something out of his pocket and threw it at Ryan.

Before Ryan had a chance to react his head was slammed to the wall as a large rock hit him square in the face. The impact of the rock was just enough to silence him for a while.

Horatio's reaction was instantaneous. He grabbed Ryan by the shoulders and pulled him up to get a better look at the bruise now forming on Ryan's forehead. "Ryan, are you ok". Horatio was hoping for a verbal response but the slight nod of Ryan's head was enough to satisfy him.

"What's the matter father, did Billy hurt himself; it serves him right".

Horatio looked up at the mention of this "What is your problem, you could have really hurt him with that rock?"

"It's always the same thing with you. You always blamed me for everything. Well this time it's not my fault, it's yours and yours alone. You have no one to blame but yourself". The killer was no longer in control of his actions. Something else had taken over; something that was long buried within his soul had come out to take its revenge. The old David had thought this would have been so easy. He thought that everything had been set up so perfectly that he would finally get his wish and be the one chosen. But that wish was no longer an option. The old David died the moment Horatio made his choice. The new David was now in control and all bets were off. The new David had no intentions of doing what the old David had planned. He knew his life was over and that he was going to go to Hell for this, but he was not going to go alone. He was going to make sure his father joined him.

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	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20: **

* * *

The killer had left the room rather abruptly after throwing the rock at Ryan and spouting off to Horatio. Horatio was only too grateful to be alone again with Ryan, but he wished the lights had been left on. In the end though, the lights didn't really matter. He just needed time to think about their current situation. He could tell something had changed with their captor and he needed to figure out what it was before it was too late.

Horatio could sense very little movement coming from Ryan "Are you sure your ok, you haven't said much".

Ryan looked toward the direction of Horatio's voice, but quickly put his head down. His neck was really bothering him and it felt better for him to rest his chin against his chest. "I don't know how I feel. I'm just feeling really disconnected from everything right now. I don't know if it was the rock that did it or if things are just getting worse. To be honest, I really just want to lie down and go to sleep, would that be ok?"

Horatio didn't like the sound of that since it could be one of two things; either a concussion or the poison coursing through his system had reached a new level. All he knew was that he needed to keep him awake "I don't think that would be a good idea right now Ryan. I am going to need your help getting out of here".

"Ok, if you think I can really help I'll do my best". Ryan closed his eyes in pain as he tried to sit up straighter against the wall. At least he felt a little better sitting in his new position. "What do you want me to do? Since I'm not tied up do you want me to try and find the door to see if he locked it?"

"No, I need you to stay here. I don't know when he might be coming back and I don't want to upset him any further if he catches you". Horatio had two plans, one was to outthink the man and use the information about his family troubles against him. He never liked physiological warfare but in this case it might be all that had. His other plan was that maybe between Ryan and himself they could loosen the chain and eventually pull it from the wall, but he didn't want to wear Ryan out too much in the process. He decided to try the second idea first, "There is something that you can help me with. The chain I am hooked up to is attached to the wall. I thought that if we both pulled at it we may be able to loosen it. Are you up for something like that?"

Ryan didn't know if he was really up for it, but he didn't think sitting there waiting to see if he felt better would make any difference. He appreciated that fact that Horatio was willing to ask for his help. "Sure, just let me know what you want me to do".

Horatio stood up "OK Ryan, I want you to stand up so I can lead you closer to where the chain is attached to the wall". He grabbed hold of Ryan's arm to help him up. He could tell that Ryan was probably not up for this, but he didn't have anyone else.

Ryan felt a little guilty having to lean on Horatio so much, but he just wasn't sure he could stand on his own right now. He allowed Horatio to lead him and was glad that he didn't have to go far.

"OK Ryan, you can sit back down. The chain is connected to the wall directly behind you". Horatio could tell with ever step that Ryan was not doing very well. He was getting very worried and tried hard not to let Ryan know this. "Now once you feel up to it I want you to help me pull the chain and try to wiggle it loose from the wall".

Ryan rested for what seemed like a few minutes and felt a little better, "I think I'm ready now". He stood up as best he could on his own and allowed Horatio to lead his hand to the chain.

Horatio took hold of the chain that was behind the part he had given Ryan, "On the count of three I want you to pull as much as you can. 1..2..3". Horatio pulled hard on the chain, but couldn't tell if it was working. One thing he could tell was this might not have been the best thing for Ryan.

"Ryan, this is not working, we need to stop". He grabbed Ryan's shoulders and forced his to stop. "Come on; let me help you to the wall so you can sit down".

"No, we can do this. It feels like it is started to loosen". Ryan knew he should stop, but the adrenaline seemed to be making him feel better and he felt like he could do more if only Horatio let him.

Horatio had to force the chain out of Ryan's hands. "No Ryan, let go of the chain, this is not working".

Ryan sat down, but he didn't feel like he was done. "Well, I can admit that didn't work. Do you know if there is something in the room that we can slip through the chain and use it to help us wind up the chain. With enough resistance it might help loose the chain from the wall".

Horatio was silent for a minute while he was thinking and finally said, "I think there was something that looked like a mop over by the door, but my chain won't reach that far".

"I'll go if you point me in the right direction". Ryan had not been as observant as Horatio had been when the lights were one so he wasn't really sure which direction to go in.

"It's too risky for you to go; he might be back any minute". Horatio knew Ryan was their only hope, but he didn't want to risk being caught since it would only make matters worse.

Ryan wasn't going to be talked out of this so he started to stand up to show Horatio he was serious "I am the only one that can do this, so tell me what direction I need to go in".

By the tone in Ryan's voice, Horatio knew he had to let him try. "If you stick to the right of the wall there is nothing in the way. The door is about 30 feet from here. As soon as you come to the door there is a chair to the other side of the door and that is where I saw the mop, it was leaning up against the wall behind the chair".

Ryan started making his way over to where Horatio said the door was. It seemed like with every step he was feeling better, which was the total opposite of what he thought he would be feeling. But it did take longer to reach the door than he thought. Once he felt the door handle he tried to open it, but was quickly disappointed to find it locked. He then felt his way to the other side and found the chair Horatio had mentioned and then eventually the mop. As he grabbed for the handle his heart skipped a beat as he heard the door being unlocked.

All Ryan could think about was that he screwed this up. He should have listened to Horatio, but it was too late for that. He had to think and quickly. All he could think to do was take the killer by surprise and hope he had enough strength to take him down.

As Horatio had been listening to Ryan's progress he was horrified to hear the door being unlocked. He wanted to call to Ryan to see if he was on his way back, but he didn't want the killer to know Ryan was right there by the door.

He was forced to sit quietly as he watched the door open. He saw the background light from the outside of the door silhouette the killer and then from out of nowhere he saw the silhouette of Ryan leaping toward him with the mop in his hand.

He was trying to watch what was happening as the two fought in the door, but once they stepped out of the only source of light he lost track of where they were. The only thing he could do was hear them fighting.

The fight seemed to take forever but when the noise stopped he held his breath. He didn't know what happened so he didn't know if Ryan was ok or not. All of a sudden he saw someone walk by the door. He couldn't tell who it was, "Ryan, is that you?"

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	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21:**

**

* * *

**

All Horatio could see was the silhouette of someone in the door. When he called out to see who it was he was worried when the person didn't answer right away. Luckily he didn't have to wait long as he finally heard a response.

"Horatio, it's me. I think I knocked him out, he's not moving". Ryan couldn't believe he was able to take the guy down, but he had the element of surprise on his side. He was actually feeling pretty good considering how he had been feeling only a few hours ago.

Horatio sighed heavily once he heard Ryan's voice. "Thank god it's you. Where is the killer now?" It made him nervous to not be able to see anything.

"He is right here in front of me, but I can't see too much. All I have is the light from the hallway to see". Ryan waited for Horatio to respond.

"Ok, I need you to see if he has any keys that might unlock this chain". Horatio didn't want to risk Ryan's freedom by having him get close to the killer again, but if there was a chance for both of them to escape he had to take it.

Ryan bent down and started patting the killer's clothes to see if he could feel any keys. He was extremely disappointed when he was finished, "Sorry H, there is nothing here. I can't find any keys. I can still bring the mop handle over to see if we can wind up the chain and loosen it from the wall".

Horatio wanted nothing more than to get out of here, but he needed Ryan to get away "No, there is no time. I need you to get yourself out of here and find help. Do you think you are well enough to do this?"

Ryan didn't want to leave Horatio, but he knew that he was probably speaking the truth. "H, I can't leave you, I think our plan will work".

"No, I can take care of myself. You need to get going and find help". Horatio hoped he sounded convincing.

"I'm not even sure where we are, it could take awhile to get help. Maybe I should try and tie him up with something before I go". Ryan had thought of this but he was not able to think of anything that would help when the lights were on earlier. He could try to find something outside of the room, but he had no idea what was on the other side of the door. For all he knew he could get lost and not even be able to find his way back. He needed to think quickly since he was their only hope at the moment. "Do you remember seeing anything in the room that would work?"

"No, I don't remember anything in the room that would work". Right after Horatio said this he came up with one idea that might work. "Ryan, do you think you could drag him over to where I am. Maybe I could buy us some time if I can somehow confine him in my own chains". He knew the chain was long, but he just didn't know if it was long enough for this to work.

"Do you think that could work?" Ryan thought it was better than nothing and decided to grab the man's legs to start dragging him over, the only trouble was that he had to take a more direct route and he didn't know exactly what direction Horatio was in. "I'm gonna need you to keep talking so I know what direction you are in".

"What about the light switch, can you see where it is?"

Ryan let go of the killer's legs and looked around using the light from outside the room but he couldn't see anything. He used his hands to feel around the door frame but there was nothing to be found, "I can't find it Horatio, do you want me to keep on trying".

"No Ryan, were going to have to go with your first plan I'm afraid".

Ryan grabbed the killer's legs again and waited for Horatio's direction. "Ok Horatio, where should I go?"

"From where I can see you standing, I think if you come straight back from the door you should get close to me. Also if you move straight back I can use your silhouette to make sure you are going straight". Horatio took his time talking so that he could keep the conversation going.

Using Horatio's voice Ryan continued to drag the man, but the farther away he got from the door the more his strength started to drain away. He didn't know if he was going to make it "H, am I close, I don't know if I can do this much longer".

"You're almost here, just a few more steps".

Finally Ryan was standing right in front of him. "Ok, we need to sit him up so that I can walk around him a few times and wrap him up with the chain. This should keep him right where I want him while you go for help". Horatio helped Ryan sit him up and was able to walk around the guy at least 2 times to where the chains wrapped his upper body. He took the remaining chain and wrapped it around the guy's neck. The only thing Horatio didn't like about this set up was that he had to be up close and personal with the guy when he woke up. "Ok Ryan, I think this is good, I will do my best to hold him off while you go for help".

Ryan hated the idea of leaving Horatio alone with the killer but he knew there was no other choice. He just hoped he would be able to find his way out. Fighting the guy and eventually moving his unconscious body was finally starting to take its toll on him and he didn't know how much longer he would last. The only thing that got him moving was the idea of Horatio sitting here alone with the killer. "Ok Horatio, I'll go and get help and be back before you know it".

* * *

For the last hour, Eric, Calleigh and Natalia had exhausted every possibility they had of finding some room in the building that was not on the blue prints. It was getting dark and they decided it was time to get back to the lab and start analyzing the newest evidence that had been collected. They were disappointed that they had not been able to figure out why there was no sign of Ryan and Horatio leaving this building. They had also been disappointed that the owner of the building never called them back.

Eric finished loading up his hummer and went back into the building to see if Calleigh and Natalia were ready to leave. "Hey, are we ready to get out of here?"

Calleigh looked up at Eric's question "Yes, I think we are, but I really thought we had something here. Are we sure we looked everywhere?" She just didn't feel right about leaving. There was something nagging her about this place, but couldn't place her finger on it. But her gut feeling was not a good enough reason to stay any longer.

Eric knew how she felt, he didn't want to leave either "We can come back in the morning and take another look, but I think we need to get back. I'm sure we will find them".

"Your right, we do need to get back". She reluctantly picked up her stuff and started walking out the door with Eric and Natalia following behind.

* * *

Once Ryan was on the other side of the door he looked in both directions and decided to go right. He just hoped it was the right way since there was not much time to find help and save Horatio. He also wished he felt better.

As he rounded a corner he found a set of stairs that led up. He didn't really know if going up was the right way, but he had to try it. As he finally reached the last step at the top of the stairs he found another hallway which gave him the option of going left or right. He decided to go right again. As he walked for a little ways; using the wall as something to help hold him up; he came to a door. He opened it up and found himself in another smaller room. As soon as he entered the room the door behind him shut. It startled him momentarily but he quickly recovered and tried to open the door again. As soon as he realized it was locked he started to lose all hope of finding help. He sunk to his knees and sat there for a few minutes trying to get his composure back.

What was he doing? He should have stayed with Horatio to see if they could have figured out a way to get him free from the wall. But he let Horatio talk him into leaving and now he was here sitting on the floor barely able to keep going. He felt like such a failure at this moment.

Ryan had to make a decision. Was he going to sit here and talk himself into doing nothing or was he going to push himself to get moving. Horatio was counting on him to succeed and he could not let him down. Even though he felt like he couldn't move another inch he was able to find new strength and get himself up. He looked around the room and saw another door. He didn't know how he could have missed it before but he didn't have time to wonder. He walked over to it and opened it.

To his relief the door led to the outside, but what he saw took away any hope he had left. He saw a hummer that looked like the ones they used in the department driving away. All he could think to do was start shouting "No, don't leave. You have to come back". Ryan sank to the ground feeling defeated.

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	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22: **

* * *

Horatio sat in the dark behind the killer. The chain that bound him to the room was now wrapped around the killer a couple of times. Horatio had his hands on the part of the chain that was wrapped around the killer's neck.

He wondered if Ryan was ok and hoped he had found his way out of the building. He didn't know if they were in the same building where he had met Ms. Stevens or if they had been moved to another location. None of that really matters though; Ryan was free to get help, as long as his health didn't deteriorate any further.

Horatio was surprised at how Ryan was able to knock out their captor. It also surprised him at how determined Ryan had been in finding help. He thought Ryan wouldn't have had any strength left to continue, but the adrenaline that was flowing through him was obviously helping.

Movement from the man in front of him brought Horatio's attention back to the current dilemma. He could tell the guy was waking up.

"Hey, what's going on" was all David could get out before he felt something tighten around his neck.

Horatio was holding the chain very firmly against the killers back "Now, I want you to know if you resist I will tighten this chain around your neck and strangle you".

David didn't like the position he suddenly found himself in. He couldn't help but put up a fight but soon found out that Horatio meant business. As the chain was restricting his ability to breathe he stopped moving. As the chain loosened he took a big deep breath. "What do you intend to do now?"

"We are going to wait here until Ryan returns". Horatio was not really in the mood to talk to this guy, but there was really nothing else to do.

All kinds of thought were pouring through David's mind while he sat there. All he could think about was how he really screwed up. How had his father and brother been able to get the upper hand? He thought he had everything worked out, but now his father had him by the neck and Billy was gone. "I suppose you're really proud of yourself now father. You have once again beaten me and I am once again at your mercy".

Hearing the guy call him father made Horatio realized that the killer still thought of him as his father. He didn't know how this would affect the situation but he decided to play along with the man's delusions and act the part; if only to gain information on why he did the things he did. "All I have done is reversed the situation. Have you forgotten that it was you who brought me here in the first place and tied me to the wall?"

"Oh, I remember father, but have you forgotten who did the same things to me as I was growing up?"

Horatio noticed that the killer's voice had suddenly taken on a dark sinister tone when he said that. "No I don't remember". As soon as Horatio finished he realized it was the wrong thing to say. The killer started moving about violently not caring if the chain was becoming tighter around his neck with every movement.

"HOW CAN YOU SAY YOU DON'T REMEMBER?" The killer was doing his best to shout despite the chain that was constricting his throat.

All Horatio could think to say was "Remind me".

David felt he could no longer continue so he calmed himself down. He was grateful that the chain loosened at the same time. He drew in another deep breath before saying "All those times growing up. How you pitted me against my brother and mother. You treated me like I wasn't worth anything; like I was a disease". David paused briefly to catch his breath. When he continued his voice took on a dark tone once again. "I know what you're trying to do; you want me to admit that I deserved all of this, just like you did the night mother died".

Horatio would never feel sorry for a criminal but based on what he was hearing, it sounded like this guy harbored a lot of ill will toward his father and it had something to do with his childhood. He felt a small amount of sympathy as he remembered his own childhood, but that was quickly replaced as the killer started talking again, but this time his tone of voice was quieter and almost childlike.

"How many times did you make mother choose between me and Billy. You knew she would always pick Billy since he was the best at everything. You never really wanted me and neither did she". David paused before continuing "I never did anything wrong but I was still the one who always got punished. You never believed me when I told you that it was Billy who broke the TV or let the dog run away. She never believed me either. You both loved Billy so much". David had to stop. The memories were coming fast and furious through his mind and he felt like he could explode as any moment. He needed to be the one in control and he needed time to think how he was going to get away from his father and go find his brother. He knew that the only thing that would convince his father was to have Billy admit everything he had ever done. Then his father would have to believe him. Maybe his father would also finally believe him when he told him that their mother's death was not his fault and that it was really Billy's fault. He was the one who forgot to pick up her medication and it for that reason that she died. Her asthma had flared up so bad that by the time they got her to the hospital it was too late.

It hadn't taken Horatio long to realized that the killer was done talking. He didn't know if it was safe to continue this charade and decided it was better to be silent and see where things went. He just hoped this was buying Ryan some time to find help.

* * *

After watching the hummer drive off, Ryan just sat there feeling numb. He was starting to get so tired and really just wanted to lie down on the ground, but he knew he had to keep moving. After several failed attempts at getting himself up, he finally succeeded on his 5th try.

As he stood up he grabbed the nearest wall to prevent from falling back down. After a few moments he let go of the wall and started walking around the outside of the building. His pace was slow but at least he was up and moving. He wasn't sure where he was going so he thought it was best to stay close to the building. He tried to look for any signs of life, but from where he was standing it appeared to be in the middle of nowhere. He could barely hear any signs of life either. As he continued walking around the building he came to what looked like a front entrance. Since he didn't think he should go roaming off in the night and risk the possibility of getting lost he decided to go inside the building. Maybe there was something inside that would help. After all he did see what looked like a department hummer and maybe there was something left over inside. But then again he didn't really know who the hummer belonged to. If it had really been the police then why did they leave? If they were here looking for them, then why would they have left. He hoped his answers would be inside.

He entered the building very cautiously because he didn't know what he might encounter. The room was dark, but he could still tell it was a large room. He wondered if there was a way to get to where Horatio was from here. He thought if he had to find Horatio he would have to go back the way he had come from, only that way was now blocked off to him.

As Ryan slowly made his way around the room he discovered that there were several hallways leading to unknown parts of the building. He didn't know how far he should explore the building since he could easily get lost and that would not help the situation. But he was bound and determined to get some help so he decided to take the hallway to his immediate right.

Ryan noticed the hall he was in was lined with doors. The first door he tried was locked so he went to the next door and gave it a try. To his surprise the door opened. He slowly opened the door and stepped inside. It was very dark so used his hand to feel by the frame of the door to see if there was a light switch. He didn't know if the building had any power, but he remembered the killer turning on a light in the room where he had Horatio had been kept. This gave him a little hope that this room would also have a working light in it.

As his hand moved along the wall to his left he finally felt a light switch and said a silent prayer for it to turn on before his hand moved the switch. To his delight the room became illuminated with light, but it was just enough to make him close his eyes until they adjusted to the change.

Slowly he opened his eyes and looked around the room. He saw that it contained a small table and one chair. He also noticed a dark spot on the floor that in this light resembled blood. As he looked closer he saw that there were recent signs of activity in the room. It looked like someone had processed the room for evidence and he had to wonder if a murder had been committed in this room. This idea made him instantly think of Horatio and the killer he was holding. He wondered if the stain on the floor had anything to do with the killer. He also wondered if the hummer he had seen driving off had belonged to the crime lab. But if it had why had they left.

* * *

Calleigh's hummer had been the last to leave the building. As she drove away she kept thinking that they had to of missed something, but she attributed it to being tired. They had all agreed that there was nothing more they could do at the site and it was time to go back to the lab, but there was still something not right about the whole thing.

She was about half way to the lab when she realized that she had forgotten something back at the building. It didn't take her long to decide to turn around and head back to retrieve it. She knew it could wait until morning, but for some reason she felt she needed to go back and get it. She thought of calling Eric to let him know, but she knew it wouldn't take her long to drive back there and get back on the road. If she timed it right, Eric wouldn't even realize she was late getting back.

As she drove up to the building she noticed that the door at the front entrance was opened. She thought this was odd since she was sure they had secured the building before they left. As she parked the hummer she turned on the external lights to help illuminate the door. She took her gun out as a precaution and entered the building.

As she entered the building there didn't seem to be anything out of place so she headed toward the crime scene. As she walked down the hallway she noticed a light coming from the same room that had once contained the bodies of Megan and the officer.

She drew her gun up close and slowly made her way toward the door. The door was slightly ajar so she quickly peered inside. What she saw made her duck back out of sight. She had seen someone leaning over the same area where the bodies were and she wondered if the killer had come back for something. She knew she was on her own as there was no time to call for backup. It was just one person and she confident she could take them as long as surprised him.

Calleigh quickly entered the room and yelled "FREEZE, MIAMI DADE POLICE".

The person sunk to their knees. She was just about to ask the person to slowly get up and turn around but stopped when she heard her name.

The sound of someone shouting at him caused Ryan to freeze for a second before he realized he knew that voice. All he could do was sink to the floor and say "Calleigh".

Calleigh instantly recognized the voice "Ryan, is that you". She moved quickly to his side and saw that it truly was Ryan "Oh my god Ryan, I am so happy to see you, where have you been". She got a good look at him and saw that he looked terrible but otherwise appeared unharmed. "Are you ok?"

Ryan was so happy at being found that he didn't think he had any energy left to answer Calleigh. As he turned to look at her he sighed heavily and allowed himself to fall into her open arms. She then helped him up and walked him over to the one and only chair in the room. "Calleigh, how did you know where to find us?"

As Calleigh heard him say us, she had to ask "Did you just say **us**? Is Horatio with you?"

"Horatio was with me, but I was able to get away. When I saw you drive away I lost any hope of finding help". This was all he could get out before leaning back into the chair and closing his eyes.

"Ryan, I know you're tired and don't feel good, but I need to know where Horatio is right now".

"He's somewhere downstairs in the building but the door locked behind me when I got out".

She didn't know if he was up to showing her "Can you tell me where the room is?"

"No, but I can show you". Ryan was tired, but he forced himself to stand up. He was glad that Calleigh was there to lean on.

"Ryan, are you sure you're up to this". She knew he wasn't, but at the moment he was all she had.

"Yes, I told Horatio I would come back with help and that is exactly what I intend to do". He didn't waste any time in getting up and leading Calleigh outside since he didn't know how long Horatio would be able to hold the killer.

xxxxx


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23: **

* * *

Horatio had no idea how long they had been sitting there in the dark. Neither of them had spoken for a while so it was hard to gage the time. He wasn't sure how long he could sit like this. He just hoped that Ryan had gotten out of the building and was on his way to find help. But he mostly just hoped Ryan got away.

As he sat there pondering Ryan's fate he felt the killer stir a little. Horatio didn't know if he was finally going to say something or if he was just re-adjusting himself. As the movement intensified he decided the killer was just trying to change his position. He appreciated the movement at first since he was starting to cramp up in his current state, but the killers movement meant he had to change the way he was holding the chain around his neck and he didn't feel like he had the best grip now.

"I need you to sit still or I am going to have to pull at this chain around your neck again".

David heard Horatio but didn't verbally respond. Instead he just kept shifting his body in different positions trying to find the one that he needed to be able to get away from father. He had been sitting their quietly evaluating the situation and thought that now was the best time to make his move.

By the time Horatio realized his threat wasn't being taken seriously he was struggling so much with the chain that he felt his hold on the killer slipping away. He tried to pull the chain to make it tighten around the killer's neck but instead he found himself being pushed backward in the wall. He was unable to steady himself after a quick jab to the face pushed him back toward the wall again.

Before Horatio had a chance to figure out what was happening the killer had unwound himself from the chain and gotten free. He received another blow to the face sending him back to the floor.

"Ha, I got away from you father. What are you going to do now?" David still had not been able to comprehend that fact that Horatio was not his father. "You don't even know where I am, so how are you going to find me?"

Horatio didn't know how to respond. He felt totally helpless sitting in the dark and once again being at the mercy of the killer.

"Well answer me". David was trying to coax Horatio into saying something. "Are you scared yet?" If he could have he would have gone right up and grabbed Horatio to show him he meant business, but he didn't want to get to close for fear of getting caught again.

Horatio chose to sit quietly all the while thinking of what to do next. He quickly thought of Ryan again and hoped he was long gone from this place.

* * *

Ryan led Calleigh back outside and was able to find the door that he had come out of. As he showed Calleigh the way he was thinking of their next move, but the only thing blocking their way was the locked door. He didn't have long to think about it. He showed Calleigh the door "Here is the door I told you about. It locked after I came through it and I tried to open it but couldn't". He just hoped that the reason he was unable to open the door was due to the fact that he was weak and felt like crap.

While Calleigh had followed Ryan she realized that she was in a part of the building that was not on the blue prints she had gone over earlier in the day with Eric and Natalia. She had a suspicion that there was more to this building that what they had seen, but now was not the time to think about that. She had to focus on the door that could lead them to Horatio and the Triangle killer.

As she tried to open it she realized that it was indeed locked as Ryan has already pointed out. "It does appear to be locked, just like you said it was. Did you look around for anything that might help us open the door?"

"No, I didn't have time to look around. I just wanted to find a way out". Ryan forced himself away from the wall he was leaning on and started to look around the area with Calleigh.

Calleigh noticed that there were a couple of doors off to the left of the one that was locked "I think we should look over in this direction, we may be able to find something". She was also hoping to find a place for Ryan to sit down since she was worried about him. He looked horrible and he wasn't moving too fast. She was surprised he had lasted this long.

Ryan and Calleigh walked to the next door and found that it was also locked. Without wasting time they walked over to the next closest door and found that it was opened.

Calleigh opened the door wide enough to get a quick look inside. She didn't hear anything so she felt it was safe to go inside. She felt along the wall for a light switch and was happy to find one. As she flicked it to the on position she was further elated to see that it worked "well here is one room that we can search".

Calleigh saw that the room contained a chair and a desk. It also contained a couch that looked like someone had been sleeping on it since there was a blanket draped over the back and a small pillow at one end. She wondered if this was where the killer had been staying. She walked over to the desk and opened it.

Inside the largest desk drawer she found a box and a set of clothing. She pulled them out and placed them on the desk. In the next drawer she found some paper and a marker which she also pulled out. In the last drawer she found some money and a cell phone. After pulling out the last of the items she looked at Ryan who was now sitting in the chair "Well I don't see any keys here. Maybe there is something in the box". Inside the box she found several pictures. When she pulled them out to get a better look she saw the faces of each of the 'Triangle Killer's' victims staring back at her. "Oh my god, these are pictures of all of the victims".

A further inspection of the pictures revealed a large number of them belonging to Horatio and Ryan. This might explain why he had taken such an interest in them. She set them aside, but could tell that Ryan had also come to the same conclusion as he sat there sifting through the pictures. As she looked through the rest of the items she was disappointed that there was no key. "There is no key here, but we may be able to pick the lock with something". She didn't see anything but it finally occurred to her that she would have the perfect thing back in her hummer "I don't see anything but I do have something back in the hummer. I want you to stay and rest here while I go and get it. I will be right back ok."

Ryan wasn't about to argue with her. The idea of staying put sounded like a great idea "Ok, but hurry back".

Ryan watched Calleigh walk out the door and then leaned back in his chair. He closed his eyes momentarily and wished he could go to sleep, but he knew that was not an option. He opened his eyes and decided to look at the stuff directly in front of him. He had looked at several of the pictures already so he decided to look at the papers that Calleigh had found in one of the drawers.

While he viewed the first page he found it contained notes about his first victims. The second page contained notes about his second set of victims and the third page was all about the third set of victims. As he started looking at the fourth page he saw that it was all about Horatio, Eric and himself, but the notes didn't stop at the fourth page. There were at least 10 more pages of stuff written down.

He was startled by how much the killer really knew about them. He was also surprised to see how much he had written about Horatio. As he continued to read the pages he found that the notes eventually stopped talking about Eric. The remainder of the notes focused solely on Horatio and himself.

When he came to the fifth page he had to take a second glance at what he saw. The page said the following '_**I've been watching Horatio interact with Ryan for the last couple of weeks now and his feelings toward the younger man are so obvious. It reminds me of how my father treated me at times. I do hate that man so. I think I need to try something different for this next game**__'._

He continued on to the next page and once again stopped to read it again, it read_ 'I __**don't think Horatio will ever suspect that he has already chosen. It was so easy poisoning his choice that it almost took all the fun out of it, but I must remember that the fun has only just begun. There will be more in store for those two and I can't wait**__'. _

Ryan came to the last page and saw that the killer had continued his notes even they had all been rescued. '_**Everything is going as planned. They have figured out that someone was chosen after all and that Ryan has been poisoned. I wonder if they will figure out all of it though**__'. _Ryan wondered what he meant by the last remark, but there was nothing further written. He looked in the drawer to see if they had missed some of the papers but he found nothing.

After he was done reading he realized that Calleigh had not come back yet. He was starting to worry that something may have happened to her. He got up and walked to the door to look for her. As he started to exit the room he heard a sound coming from the locked door that they were trying to get into. Maybe Calleigh had decided to start picking the lock without of him, which would explain why she had not come back yet. He started walking over to the door to give her a hand. What he found when he got there was totally unexpected.

xxxxx


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24: **

* * *

David stood in the dark waiting for his father/Horatio to respond to his latest question, but he realized that he needed to go out and see if his brother was still around. He really wanted to get him back here and have him confess to everything. He knew the layout of the room even in the dark and decided it was time to slip out of the door. He knew that his father would see him leaving but it would be too late for him to say anything since he would already be out the door.

David slowly made his way over to the door and opened it as quickly as he could. He quickly slid through the opening and was back in the hall before his father could say anything. He wondered what his father was thinking now, but he would soon find out once he found Billy and brought him back to the room. He just hoped his brother had not gone too far. That would complicate matters even further.

David made his way to the stairs that would lead him back to the hallway where his temporary home was. He knew the layout by heart so he was able to move swiftly to his destination. When he came to the door he opened it slowly and walked through. He made sure not to let the door close all the way since he didn't have the key to unlock in again. He knew where the key was but in all the excitement he had forgotten to bring it along. As he was about to make his way outside, he momentarily froze at the sound of someone walking toward him. Could it be this easy that Billy was still here and was at this very moment walking toward him? He stood very still waiting to see who was approaching and was very excited to see that it was in fact Billy.

As Ryan approached the door he was expecting to find Calleigh hard at work on the door, but instead he was now facing the killer once again. He was not expecting this so he had no time to defend himself as the killer quickly pushed him down on the floor.

"Well well brother, I see you're still here. You don't know how happy that makes me. Now that you're back with me we are going to take a little trip to see father. You're going to tell him the truth". David had pinned Ryan on the ground and had grabbed him around the neck. It didn't take much to get the upper hand since he knew that his brother/Ryan was still suffering from the effects of the poison. This made it easy to drag him back through the door, which he promptly shut behind him locking the door once again.

Ryan was unable to do anything to stop the killer from ushering him through the very door that he and Calleigh had been trying to get through earlier. He tried to resist the hold the killer had on him, but he was much stronger. He was however able to do one thing before the door was shut and that was shout out a warning to Calleigh, "Calleigh, the killer is loose". He didn't know where she was at this moment so he didn't know if she was able to hear him. He just hoped that it reached her and that she came prepared.

Calleigh looked through her hummer and had found quite a few items that would help her get the door open. She put them in her bag and then used her cell phone to call for backup. She didn't know why she hadn't done this earlier, but suspected it was due to the heat of the moment. She called Eric who agreed to arrange the backup. He told her to not do anything until they got there, but she knew that Horatio's life could be in danger the longer they waited. She was going to try and do what she could.

She got a little confused when she made her way back to the room, but was soon on the correct path. She made it back to the room where she had left Ryan, but was startled to see the room was empty. She knew he had not gone to the door because they would have had to cross paths. Maybe he had found another part of the room that they had missed, "Ryan, are you in here?"

She didn't expect a response since the room was definitely empty but perhaps wherever he was he would be able to hear her calling him. She went back out in the hallway and called for him again. When she didn't hear anything she wondered if he had made his way back to her hummer looking for her. After all she had been gone longer than she than she had originally intended to be.

When there was no response from Ryan she decided she should go back outside and check if he was out there. Before she left the room she caught sight of the killer's cell phone on the table. This made her reach in her pocket for her own phone only to realize that she must have left it back in the car. This also gave her a new idea. If Ryan had gone back up to look for her she could try calling her own phone in hopes that he would answer it. Then she would know he was alright and could stop worrying. She put on some gloves before picking up the killer's phone to make the call. As she opened the phone up she saw that the killer had missed a few phone calls. As she looked at the number she thought they looked familiar. It only took a few seconds before she realized that the number belonged to Natalia. Why would Natalia be calling this phone? She looked further at the calls and saw that the last one was made when they were all together in this building looking over the blue prints. "Oh my god, this phone belongs to the building's owner". She didn't know if the phone was just a coincidence or if the owner was actually the 'Triangle Killer', but she didn't have time to think about that. She needed to find out what happened to Ryan and save Horatio.

"Come on stop dragging your feet. You can't stop what is going to happen to you so you might as well let father see you walk in like a man". David was having a difficult time getting his brother to move. He had a feeling his brother knew where they were going and didn't want to face father. He didn't blame him, he had done it most of his life and had always dreaded it.

Ryan was trying everything he could to not be dragged back into that room. His only comfort was the fact that Calleigh was somewhere in the building and hopefully she had called for backup. For every minute he stalled the killer that was every minute help had to get here.

"Just a little further now Billy, I know father will be most happy to see you". David was still struggling to get his brother to move so he had no alternative but to hit the side of his head with his hand. "Come on Billy, I didn't want to hit you, but you gave me no choice".

Ryan had not expected to be hit, but it did force him to stand up straighter and pay attention to what the killer wanted "All right, I'll do what you want".

Both of them walked a little further and ended up at the door that held Horatio on the other side "Well, here we are". David opened the door and forced Ryan inside. "Father, I brought a surprise for you". David moved to the side of the wall and turned the lights on.

Horatio had to blink several times in order to let his eyes adjust to the lights. When he was able to focus on the killer he saw that he had Ryan with him. Any hope of a rescue died with the sight of Ryan, but he didn't blame Ryan. At least Ryan appeared unharmed.

"Now, I made the mistake of not tying you up earlier" David moved over to the one and only table in the room and pulled something out of bag that was currently sitting there. He then forcefully pulled both of Ryan's hands behind his back and tied them as tight as he could.

"Hey, take it easy". Ryan didn't like the position his arms were in now. He was totally helpless in this state.

"What's the matter Billy, don't like being tied up? Well tough, I had to endure shit like this all my life and now it's your turn". David roughly pushed Ryan up against the wall close to where Horatio was. "So father, I told you I would bring him back and here he is".

Horatio could no longer remain silent "Well, what do you intend to do with both of us now that you have us again?"

"Well isn't it obvious, I want you to choose between me and Billy. But before you say anything I want Billy to tell you a few things". David looked over at Ryan "Well, go ahead and tell him every bad thing that I was blamed for was really all your doing".

When his question was not answered David went over and pulled Ryan up and made him stand up. He pulled him close to him and put his arm around his neck "Now I want you to tell father every bad thing you ever did. I want our father to see that he had chosen the wrong son every time".

Ryan was getting very tired of having this guy treat him like he was his brother. He just wanted it to end "I don't know why you think I am your brother, but I'm not. And the man you are referring to as father is my boss".

This did not go over well with David. He tightened his grip on Ryan "How can you say that. You're just trying to get out of saying anything, but you will talk, even if I have to kill you to do it".

As Ryan was trying to breathe he found himself angered at this last statement "You've already killed me so why should I say anything".

"Oh, is that what you think, well I have news for you brother, while I did in fact poison you, you are not dying. The poison is still in your system and will make you feel like dying at times, but since you stopped ingesting it awhile ago it never had enough time to take a permanent hold on your body. It certainly is a curious little poison I found, but I knew that you were not going to die, I just wanted you and everyone else believe it was real".

Ryan looked at Horatio and saw that the look on his face told him he was thinking the same thing. He wasn't dying. He just wished he was happier, but it was hard to feel like that knowing that this guy could still end his life at any moment.

"Well, I told you the truth, now it's your turn to tell the truth". David repositioned his arm around Ryan's neck and held on tight waiting for a response.

"I don't know what you expect me to tell him?" Ryan had no idea of what to say, but the one thing he did know was that he was going to have to act the part of this guys brother if he was to give Calleigh enough time to bring help.

* * *

Calleigh had been working on the locked door when she heard Eric calling her name. She stood up and walked toward the outside. "Eric, thank god you're here, I think the killer has Ryan again. I couldn't find him anywhere. We need to hurry before we're too late". She led Eric and the team of officers he brought with him to the door. When they stopped she noticed that Frank and Natalia had joined them as well.

Calleigh pointed to the door, "There behind this door, but I just can't get it opened".

"Don't worry; I brought something with me that should be able to get us through the door". Eric went straight to work leaving Calleigh to talk to Natalia.

"Natalia, I think I know who the 'Triangle Killer' is. I found where the killer was staying and he had a cell phone in the desk drawer. It had 2 missed calls on it. When I looked closer at the number, I saw that they belonged to you. One of the calls was placed at the same time you tried to call the building's owner". She produced the phone from an evidence bag and gave it to Natalia for a closer inspection.

Natalia took the phone and was shocked to see that her number was indeed the last one to have called. "That would explain why the killer knew so much about this building and why I couldn't get a hold of him. But you said you think it belonged to the owner, why do you think that?"

Calleigh looked at Natalia and offered her theory, "Well, the phone belongs to the owner of the building so it would not be out of place to be found here. The killer may have just found the phone when he looked through the rooms here. But then again the killer may have just left it behind while he took care of Horatio and Ryan".

"You could be right on that, but I'll go back to the laptop in the hummer and see if I can find out anything more about the owner". Even though Natalia wanted to stay and help, she felt it would be more beneficial to check this out. If the killer turned out to be the same man, they might be able to get the upper hand on the guy and get Horatio and Ryan out of the building safely. She walked back to the hummer and left Calleigh and Eric to help the other officers get through the door.

Calleigh watched as Natalia went back to the hummer and was happy to see one of the officers go with her. She didn't know what happened to Ryan, but it was safe to guess that no one should be alone in this place. She walked over to where Eric was working on the door "How's it going?"

Eric looked up at her, "I almost have it opened; one more twist and this should do it". As he finished his sentence the door opened up. Eric got up and yelled "I have the door opened".

Everyone took their guns out and followed Eric and Calleigh through the door.

* * *

The group of people walked at a slow and even pace. No one was sure where this corridor led to and they didn't want to be taken by surprise. As they turned a corner they came to a room at the end of the hall. The door looked very secure and when Eric tried it he found that the door was also locked "It looks like this is where it ends, but this door is locked to. Only difference from this door is that it looks like it is even more re-enforced than the other door we had to get through. It could take some time to get inside". He held his ear up to the door "I don't hear anything on the other side but that doesn't mean anything. This door looks like it is air tight, like it was meant to keep people out".

Calleigh was looking at the door with great interest "I think I know what this is; I saw something like this on TV. I think this room was meant to be some sort of bunker for illegal activity. The rooms were built to withstand an attack and were very hard to get inside". She didn't know if she was right, but it all made sense why this area of the building was not on the blue prints. The room was probably built when the mob had its highest influence on the area and they wanted someplace to stash their goods. "If I'm right it's going to be hard to break into this room without the right key, but we need to try". She just hoped that when they did get in the room they would find Horatio and Ryan alive.

* * *

"Tell him Billy, tell him it was you who let mom down when she needed her medicine and that it was you who caused her to die". David was getting very impatient by this point and was starting to get a little ruff with Ryan.

Horatio also could not help but notice the change in the killer. If they were going to make it out of here they both needed to play along, but he wasn't sure of the best way to be convincing "Tell me the truth Billy, did you have something to do with your mother's death". He looked at Ryan and hoped that he understood the need to keep playing along.

Ryan seemed to sense what Horatio was getting at "No, I had nothing to do with that. It wasn't anyone's fault that mother died". Ryan didn't know if this was the right thing to say since he didn't know anything about this guy or his family, but he didn't want all the anger deflected on him or Horatio.

"No, that's not true, you were supposed to go and get her medicine, but instead you went off to play with your friends. Oh, you are so useless". David lost any patience he may have previously possessed. He was tired of this so pushed Ryan down on the floor as hard as he could and then jumped on him shouting "You will tell him the truth, even if it is the last thing you do". David grabbed hold of Ryan's head and started banging it against the floor.

Horatio could tell this was not going well. He needed to get over to the two men and stop them before anything happened to Ryan. "Stop fighting, I believe you; just stop what you are doing to Billy".

David finally stopped what he was doing and look over at Horatio, "What was that father, you finally believe me, well I want you to tell me again, but this time I want you to say it like you mean it". David let go of Ryan's head.

Horatio didn't like the fact that Ryan was no longer moving when the killer let him go. All he could do was watch as Ryan's head quickly fell back to the floor with a small thud. He just hoped Ryan was ok.

David walked over to where Horatio was sitting and stared at him before saying "well, I'm waiting father".

Horatio looked into the killers eyes "I believe that you had nothing to do with your mother's death".

David was slightly satisfied with this but he wanted more "Well, what about the rest of the stuff. Aren't you going to say you believe me when I tell you it was all Billy's fault and that you punished the wrong son?"

"Yes, I believe you. Nothing was your fault and I'm sorry for what I did to you". Horatio saw the killer's expression suddenly change, but he couldn't tell if it was a good change.

David was beyond help now, he had always wanted to hear his father say he was sorry, but this was too much. For some reason he didn't believe his father. Maybe this was all a mistake. Did he really want his father to admit he was wrong or did he just want to make his father suffer? He knew one way he could make his father suffer and that was to make him watch his beloved son die right in front of him. But would this make it all better? No, he decided, it wouldn't be better until his father was dead. He was tired of all of this and was tired of trying to please the one man whom he hated so much. Everything he did was to either please his father or get back at him, but he didn't know what to do anymore. He was so confused now. As all of this was running through his head at full speed he finally broke and shouted "I don't care if you're sorry father. It's too late for that. I want you to see what you created and make sure it's the last thing you see. You made me into who I am and you're the reason I've done all the things I've done".

David started pacing back and forth in front of Horatio. He was trying to think of the best way to end this once and for all.

Horatio didn't like the way this had turned out. He no longer felt the killer was in charge of his own actions and anything could happen now "Look, I don't know what you have against your father or your brother, but it's time to see that I am not who you think I am and neither is the man lying on the floor".

David stopped pacing and turned to look at Ryan and then at Horatio. He didn't speak as he took a good look at each one of them. For a split second he thought he saw someone else sitting there, but it was soon replaced by the faces of his father and brother, "OH, I know what you are trying to do; you're trying to put the blame on someone else again. This was always your specialty, but it won't work this time". He started pacing again.

"It sounded like your father was a very mean person and I can't even imagine what he did to you, but it sounds like you didn't deserve any of it. I need you to look at me and realize that I am not who you think I am".

"Don't patronize me. I'm sick of all of this and it's time for me to end it". He went over to Ryan and saw that he was still alive. He wrapped his hands around Ryan's neck and started to squeeze.

Horatio was trying everything he could do to get loose and save Ryan "He is not your brother, you have to stop". He could see that the grip on Ryan's neck was not loosening and that Ryan was starting to feel it. Ryan's body was starting to move around. Horatio felt totally helpless and kept yelling at the killer to stop.

Horatio suddenly stopped yelling when he saw Ryan's leg fly up with his foot landing in the middle of the killers back. This made the killer stop what he was doing for a moment, but it was just enough time for Ryan to roll away from the killer.

"Hey, come back here and take your punishment". David stood up and starting approaching Ryan. He was just about to reach for him but stopped when he heard a noise by the door. He turned to look at the door and saw that it was opening. He quickly looked over at Ryan and saw that he was also watching the door. This was his chance so he lunged toward Ryan and once again grabbed him around the neck, only this time he had pulled a knife out of his boot and held it against his neck.

Horatio had seen the door open and was so relieved to see first the gun and then the face of Eric come through the door "Eric, watch out, he has a knife to Ryan's neck".

Eric was so happy to hear Horatio's voice but didn't like what he was saying. He quickly came through the door with his gun drawn and saw Horatio was chained to the wall and that the killer was holding a knife to Ryan's neck, just like Horatio has said.

Eric aimed the gun right at the killer's head, "Put the knife down".

David didn't like this turn of events "No, you put your gun down". He looked at all the other people who had also entered the room with guns "All of you put your guns down or he dies". He had to wonder why they were so interested in saving his brother and father.

Putting his gun down was the last thing Eric wanted to do "I will shoot you if you don't put the knife down".

"If you do that it will be too late for this one". David demonstrated this by digging the knife into Ryan's neck just enough to draw some blood.

Eric saw Ryan cringe as the knife sliced into his neck "Ok, I'm gonna put my gun down but I want you to put your knife down too".

"No, you put your gun down and I promise not to cut his neck anymore". David moved the blade away from his neck just enough to show he was telling the truth. But he was ready to slice into his neck if they made any quick advances.

As the whole thing was going down one of the officers had gone back to his car and retrieved a bolt cutter; which he used to free Horatio.

Now that Horatio was free he moved in between Eric and the killer. "What is it going to take to make you put your knife down?"

"Well, I see that they let you out father, how good for you, but there is nothing you can do for Billy". David tried not to feel threatened by this but couldn't help feeling like he was on the losing side now.

Eric wondered why the killer referred to Horatio as father and Ryan as Billy. There was definitely more to this than he knew. He didn't have to wonder long. Natalia came into the room and provided and answer to his question.

Natalia was not sure what she would find when she entered the room, but seeing the killer holding a knife to Ryan's neck was not one of them. But she was at least grateful to see both Ryan and Horatio still alive.

She walked over to Eric and Horatio and told them everything she had found out about the owner of the building and once she saw the killer's face it matched the one that she found on the internet.

Horatio now felt like he had something to work with "Well, David what will it take for you to let Ryan go?"

David was surprised to hear his father finally call him by his first name "Who's Ryan".

"He's the man you are currently holding at knife point".

David looked at his father with a very confused face "No, this is Billy, don't you recognize your own son?"

"David, that is not Billy and I am not your father. According to what one of my CSI found your father died about 3 years ago and your brother died about 5 years ago, don't you remember?"

"No, you're not dead, you're standing right there". David couldn't understand what his father was trying to do now.

"No David, I am not your father. My name is Horatio Caine, but you already know that. You have been following me and my people for quite some time now". Horatio was hoping he was getting through to this man. From what he had heard from David and from what Natalia had told him it sounded like this guy's life had not been a good one.

"No, you are my father and I don't know why you are saying you're not". He pressed the knife into Ryan's throat again "Tell him that he is wrong Billy".

Ryan could tell from the look on Horatio's face that he was supposed to confirm who he was "No, my name is Ryan Wolfe and I work for Horatio Caine".

David was angrier than he had felt in a long time at hearing this "Oh, this is so typical of you Billy, deny everything and give father what he wants, well I am sick of it and I won't let this go on anymore". He started to dig the knife into Ryan's throat drawing more blood. He was having a hard time controlling him while he did this, but the feeling was a good one since it meant that he would be done with his brother once and for all and then his father would have no other option but to take his side.

Even before the knife starting slicing into Ryan's neck Horatio could tell they were in trouble. He grabbed the gun out of Eric's hand and pointed it straight at David's head and fired.

David had no time to react. One minute he was happily ending his brother's life and the next minute he was watching a bullet being fired from the gun his father was holding. He had no time to move as the bullet hit him square in the forehead. For a brief second he just stood there staring at the gun, but before he fell he all of a sudden saw that the man holding the gun was not his father, but it was someone else. He fell to the ground and closed his eyes forever.

Horatio stood there watching the bullet hit David's head, but moved quickly to catch Ryan as he saw he was about to fall with the killer. "Ok Ryan, I have you now". He looked at Ryan and saw that he had a large gash in his neck, but it didn't look life threatening. He moved Ryan out of the way and lowered him to the ground in order to get him untied. "Are you alright?"

Ryan was still letting the shock of what just happened wear off but he was able to answer Horatio "Yes, I think I'm ok, but my neck really hurts, how bad is it?"

"You're going to be fine Ryan. Eric, we need paramedics in here now". Horatio sat there with Ryan, but was at this point too tired to say anything further. He could also tell that Ryan was too tired to make conversation. The two of them just sat there in silence until the paramedics arrived; which didn't take long.

Eric helped direct the paramedics over to where Horatio and Ryan were sitting. He had wanted to go over and make sure they were ok, but he felt the two of them just needed some time to let the fact that they were safe sink in. Once the stretcher was brought in for Ryan he went over and helped them load Ryan on to it.

As they starting taking Ryan out Horatio went over to where Eric and Calleigh were watching. He could tell by the look on their faces that they were both worried for Ryan. "He's going to be ok. The killer said that the poison was not going to kill him, but he is going to be very sick for a while until it leaves his system".

Calleigh was first to speak at hearing this news "Are you sure he was telling the truth Horatio?"

"We'll have him tested again just to make sure". Horatio put his arm around Calleigh's shoulder and followed the stretcher that contained Ryan. As they walked out of the room, Horatio gave one more glance at the killer. He needed to make sure this guy was really gone and that they were not going to be surprised when they walked out of the building. This was one case that he was grateful was over.

* * *

As they got the ambulance Horatio agreed to riding along with Ryan. He sat down and looked at Ryan. His eyes were closed and it looked like he was sleeping. He hoped he was finally able to get some rest, he certainly deserved it.

Horatio leaned back into the wall of the ambulance as it started off to the hospital.

* * *

Ryan woke to the sounds of Horatio talking to someone in the room. He still had his eyes closed and wasn't sure why he was afraid to open them. He had to tell himself that this was not a dream and that he was somewhere with Horatio. He opened his eyes he saw that he was once again lying in a hospital bed and that Horatio was standing at the end of the bed quietly talking to someone that looked like a doctor. As he laid there watching them Horatio turn his head and smile at him.

"Well, I see that you are finally awake, how are you feeling Ryan?" Horatio walked to the side of the bed.

"I'm a little tired and my neck hurts, but otherwise I think I feel ok. Is it really over?" Ryan didn't know if he had dreamt what had happened back in the room or if it had really happened. His dreams had betrayed him before.

Horatio smiled again "I can assure you that everything is over and that we caught and killed the 'Triangle Killer'.

Ryan momentarily closed his eyes again. When he opened them he saw that Horatio was now standing next to Calleigh and Eric "Hey, how are you guys doing?"

Eric smiled "I think we're supposed to be asking you that".

Ryan smiled back and was glad he was surrounded by people he considered his friends.

They talked about the case and what they had found since Ryan had insisted on knowing all the facts. The more he heard about this guy the more he realized that this guy was wacked out of his mind. But it was all over now. Now all he had to do was feel better. He was told it would take time, but eventually he would feel like his old self. He didn't mind, he was just glad to be alive.

xxxxx

The End - A sequel may follow.


End file.
